Two Worlds, One Life
by xxNoirLovexx
Summary: Madoka has never known her true parents, and the only family she knew was slaughtered by the man she loves. Will she ever find out who she truly is? OCxItachixDeidaraxKakashi. I suck at summaries . M for later on... ;D
1. The Early Years

Two Worlds, One Life.

Name: Madoka (Tranquil)

Age: 19

Appearance: Long blonde hair, light blue eyes, believes she is plain, but really is quite stunning, slender and slightly curvy, average height. Wears thigh high shinobi shoes, black short shorts under a dark blue short kimono style dress and wears her forehead protector like a headband – like Sakura.

Background: Madoka is an orphan who was raised by Sasuke's aunt and uncle. Itachi spared her life since she was not of the Uchiha clan, and because she was the only one who understood him. Madoka looked up to Itachi as not only an older brother but she admired him greatly, they had even created their own secret saying "Two against the world". When he wasn't training, they would often just lie in the woods and he'd tell her stories of his clan's history. She'd always been greatly intrigued by Madara Uchiha. When she'd found out that Itachi had slaughtered the entire Uchiha clan except Sasuke, she found him and begged him to tell her why. After his explanation she helped him escape and promised him that she'd never tell Sasuke the true reason behind it. Not long after she became friends with Kabuto Yakushi and eventually left Konoha with him to join Orochimaru. Orochimaru showed great interest in her as Kabuto had informed him about her relationship with Itachi Uchiha. She is of the Namikaze family, relative of Minato and thus inheriting the Namikaze Kekkei Genkai.

Weapons: 5-9 inch needles (acupuncture). When in the hands of a shinobi they can be dangerous.

Kekkei Genkai – Space and Time. Like Minato she's mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique and combined with her needles, she's incredibly dangerous.

Love interests: Itachi – Ever since they were young they were inseparable and many people commented on how cute they looked together, always earning a blush from Madoka. As they grew older, so did their relationship and on the night Itachi left, he confessed that he loved her. Even after the years they'd been separated, she still kept him in her heart and loved him.

Kabuto – Although they were close friends, Madoka always suspected that Kabuto secretly liked her, but he never confessed it completely.

Hidan – Hidan shows great interest in Madoka as she's the only other female in Akatsuki other than Konan, and although she doesn't feel the same he pursues her relentlessly.

Deidara – Madoka and Deidara briefly have a fling. Itachi uses a genjutsu on her, unbeknownst to her saving her life, but in return she becomes incredibly angry at him, and seeks comfort in the man who despises Itachi.

Madara – After Itachi's death Madoka sinks into a deep depression and no longer cares about her life. She eventually goes back to Kabuto before he revives the dead Akatsuki members, Itachi among them. Before he dies again, he tells her that he loved her all along and that he will live on inside her and touches her stomach hinting that she's pregnant with his baby. As she's leaving, she encounters Madara, he's immediately entranced by her, claiming that she's the reincarnation of the love of his life, Katsumi Namikaze, who is her great grandmother.

Kakashi – After saving her from Madara, Kakashi escorts her back to Konoha where she stays with him for a few days, still shaken by her time with Madara. She becomes very close with Kakashi and after she realizes she's pregnant with Itachi's baby, he offers to take care of both of them.

*Author's note – when Madoka needs comfort or strength, a gentle wind surrounds her carrying the scent of Itachi's two favourite foods – Cabbage and Onigiri (rice balls).

The Early Years.

I stared at the chaos in front of me. Never had I seen such horror in my life. Blood covered everything I looked at. I took a hesitant step through the compound's gates, afraid that the person who did this was still inside somewhere. My heart pounded throughout my body, my knees trembled and my body screamed for me to get as far away as here as possible. And yet I continued forward, quite possibly towards my death. A young child's scream and my instincts took over. I began to run towards the sound, but after a few steps I tripped over something and fell to the ground. After taking a few breaths, I sat up and turned to find what had tripped me. I blinked a few times, trying to get my eyes accustomed to the dark. My breath caught and tears began to flow as the dark lump on the ground took the form of the man and woman I called my adoptive parents. I stared in shock, remembering only this morning when they'd waved me off happily. The child's cry broke through my shock and I quickly scrambled to my feet and began running. If there was a child left alive, I was going to get it out. As I rounded the corner, trying not to see all the bodies that covered the ground, I saw the child fall to the ground.

"Sasuke!" I cried as I ran towards him, and the murderer of the Uchiha's. I fell to my knees beside the young boy, who I saw as my younger brother, and placed my finger gently on his warm neck, checking for a pulse. To my relief he was alive. I glared up at the murderer, his back was to me.

"How could you?" I hissed angrily through my tears, "These were good people! They didn't deserve this!" He didn't respond. I could tell by his height he was a little older than me. _Those cowards, sending a child to do this kind of thing._ I thought furiously, _At least Sasuke's still….ITACHI!_

"Where's Itachi?" I commanded, "Did you kill him too?" Part of me didn't want to know the answer, and yet I waited for one.

"Madoka…" the murderer whispered softly. My heart pounded and my breathing stopped as my mind registered the voice. _No…it couldn't be._ He turned his head slightly and my worst thoughts were confirmed.

"Itachi?" I whispered, "Why?" Suddenly my tears stopped and my body went numb. Itachi's eyes were closed as he turned fully to face me.

"I was hoping you would return later, with me already gone." He confessed sadly.

"Why?" I whispered again. Itachi sighed deeply and slowly opened his eyes to stare into mine, hoping to convey some kind of understanding. Itachi slowly walked over and crouched in front of me. I placed my hand on his younger brother's unconscious body protectively.

"I'm not going to hurt him anymore. When he wakes, he'll hate me forever." Itachi said sadly and gently touched Sasuke's back.

"If I could ask one last favour of you, Madoka…" he said, waiting for my response. Although he had slaughtered the only thing I had been able to call a family, Itachi was still my best friend and I still cared for him.

"Of course…" I said automatically.

"You're the only one I can tell the truth to, Madoka, my reasons behind this, because I'm entrusting Sasuke's fate to you. Promise me that you'll never repeat to him what I'm about to tell you." He said searching my eyes for something. I took his hand in mine and promised him that I wouldn't tell anyone. Itachi helped me up and we began walking through the quite, bloody paths.

"I had to do it, for the protection of everyone in the village. I couldn't kill him though, he was innocent, but I knew I couldn't tell him. So I made him believe that I did it to test my own capacity."

"You made yourself out to be the bad guy?" I asked. Itachi nodded,

"I had to. It was the only way. Besides, you remember those stories I'd tell you out in the forest?" he asked me.

"About your clan?" I replied. Itachi stopped and turned me to face him.

"Do you remember me telling you about Madara?" he asked. I frowned,

"Madara was the founder of the Uchiha clan, one of the most powerful shinobi in history and the rival of the First. They built a statue of him in the Valley." I said recalling my knowledge of him. Itachi nodded then looked away,

"He's alive." He said softly. My eyes widened,

"How is that possible? Legend says that he was killed in the final battle between him and the First decades ago."

"I had trouble believing it too, but it's him." He whispered. Everything sank into place for me,

"Madara wanted to destroy Konoha, and so you made a deal with him to slaughter the Uchiha's in return for leaving Konoha in peace, right?" Itachi nodded silently.

"What doesn't make sense though is why Madara would want his clan destroyed." Itachi sighed,

"It's because they turned their backs on him." He replied, "I guess it doesn't matter anymore."

"You're really going to leave?" I asked sadly. He turned away from me and nodded,

"I have to." Tears began to form as I stared at the back of my most loved friend.

"Goodbye, Madoka." He whispered and moved to take a step. I rushed forward and clung to him, my tears running down his chest armour.

"Take me with you!" I begged sobbingly. Itachi turned and pulled me to his chest, holding my tightly.

"You know I can't." he said sadly. He held me while I cried, not saying a word, just letting me cry.

"Madoka…it's time." He said after my sobs had slowed down. Itachi pushed me back gently, wiping my remaining tears from my eyes. I couldn't see the emotion on his face as it was concealed in shadow.

"Will I ever see you again?" I asked him quietly.

"I-I don't know." He said. He turned away from me again and began to walk away.

"Two against the world…" I called to him, using our secret saying that we had created when we were younger, "I'm going to miss you, Itachi." He turned his head to the side, the light illuminating the side of his face and catching, what I swore to be a tear rolling down his cheek.

"I'll always be with you, Madoka, I promise. You will always be in my heart." He whispered and disappeared into the night.

**A few years later…**

"Kabuto, I still wonder why you insist on dropping out each year. You could have completed the Chūnin Exams first try." I said as we walked towards the Academy.

"You could have too, you know." He said smiling down at me.

"You know it wasn't my fault I failed the Second Exam." I said sadly, remembering the horror of the Forest of Death. A team from the Mist had ambushed one of my team members while he was looking for food and had killed him mercilessly. Ultimately, we'd had to forfeit. The attack had brought back memories from my childhood…horrific memories of blood and destruction.

"Madoka, are you still with me?" Kabuto asked me waving his hand in front of my eyes. I put the memories away from my immediate thoughts and nodded.

"Sorry…" I said. He just smiled down at me again,

"It was a hard time for you, I know. I shouldn't have said anything." He said. I smiled up at him,

"It's okay, I've had time to deal with it. Besides my teammates now are much stronger than before. Plus two of us have already done most of the exam." I said. My two teammates, Kei and Masaaki were waiting for me outside the doors. Masaaki was the 'new' member of our team, replacing Ichiro; he was 13, two years younger than Kei and I. He seemed nervous and excited. Kei on the other hand was pale and straight faced. He was very close with Ichiro, they were almost like brothers.

"They don't look too good." Kabuto commented. I sighed,

"They'll be fine. We've been training non-stop, even when we don't have missions." I told him, "They'll be fine." Kabuto stopped walking and rested his hand on my shoulder, making me stop walking as well.

"Will you be fine?" he asked. A gentle breeze swirled around me, bringing with it the scent of cabbage and onigiri and carrying leaves from the nearby trees. I closed my eyes and let the wind give me strength, remembering my closest friend.

"I have a few things up my sleeves." I said, smiling as the wind departed.

The young boy sat alone, leaning against a rock and reading through his consent form. I couldn't believe that his sensei had recommended them at such a young age. Although I wasn't in the least bit surprised.

"Kei, Masaaki, this exam is going to be different than the last time we did this." I informed them. Kei looked up at me, a concerned look in his dark green eyes.

"What do you mean?" Masaaki asked, confusion and surprise in his voice.

"You see that boy over there?" I asked indicating the dark haired 12 year old.

"What about him?" Kei asked gruffly.

"I promised someone a long time ago that I'd look after him. I wasn't expecting to see him here, but nevertheless I intend to keep that promise. But I'm going to need both of your help." I informed them.

"What's so special about him?" Masaaki asked curiously. I sighed and stood up from the ground,

"He's the only survivor of the Uchiha slaughter." I replied as I walked over to the young boy. He didn't look up as I leant against the stone beside him.

"I thought you would be a Jōnin by now." He said unemotionally. I shrugged,

"I would be if one of my team members wasn't murdered last year." I replied just as unemotional.

"Sorry to hear that." He said sincerely. I stared into the darkness of the Forest.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it Sasuke." I said distantly.

"Madoka, we both know you're not here to reminisce about the 'good old days'." He said darkly. I laughed a little,

"Sasuke, I already know that you realize the danger of this Exam." Sasuke didn't reply.

"I made a promise to someone that I'd watch out for you, and I intend to keep that promise." At last Sasuke looked up at me. A crease formed on his forehead,

"Who?" he asked.

"It was your mother's dying wish." I lied and walked back to my team, leaving Sasuke with his thoughts.

It had been three days since the Exam started and I had already lost track of Sasuke. I had been keeping a close eye on him until my team had been attacked and Masaaki had been injured. We'd won and got the scroll we needed but had lost Sasuke in the process.

"Damn." I muttered as I returned to the place Sasuke was previously to find him gone.

"Sorry, Madoka." Masaaki said sadly. I turned and smiled at him,

"It's not your fault Masaaki-kun. Anyway, we can't afford to stay out here much longer anymore." I said tying my long blonde hair into a ponytail.

"Madoka's right." Agreed Kei, "It's too dangerous out here now. We have to get to the tower as soon as possible." Kei helped Masaaki to his feet and let him support his weight on his shoulders. _It would be great if we ran into Kabuto…_ I thought as I stared down at Masaaki's bleeding leg. The three of us headed silently towards the tower, careful of any traps that had been laid.

We'd been walking non-stop for most of the day and it was fast becoming night, the tower was still so far away. We'd decided that we would take a short break and then continue throughout the night until we reached the tower. We were lucky not to have run into any more trouble, although my mind wasn't solely on our safety. I kept worrying about Sasuke, hoping he was alright. A gentle breeze soft swirled around us, carrying a feint scent of cabbage. I smiled as the familiar wind caressed my face. Suddenly there was a rustling in the trees above us. Kei and I quickly got out our weapons and took protective positions around Masaaki. I glanced at Kei, letting him know that I was going to find out who or what was making the rustling. Kei nodded and threw a smoke bomb, while he got Masaaki to safety, I made a shadow clone and sent it up into the tree. As I had expected the person disposed of my clone and moved to a new position. But not before my clone had marked him. Making rapid hand seals I used my Flying Thunder God Technique and appeared right behind the enemy, holding one of my acupuncture needles to the pressure point on his neck where, if pierced, he would become immobile.

"You're fast." He commented.

"You're in trouble." I replied, touching him with the tip of the needle, he stiffened.

"Madoka…please get that thing away from me." He said. I frowned and stood back,

"Kabuto?" I said as he turned around to face me, "Why didn't you say something?"

"The same reason you attacked me," he said, "It's dark." I sighed and jumped down from the branch, Kabuto following.

"Kei, Masaaki, you can come out. It's fine." I said and waited for my two team mates to emerge from their hiding place.

"Actually, I'm glad you're here, Kabuto." I said turning back to him, "I was wondering if you could take a look at Masaaki's leg." Kabuto nodded as Kei lit a small fire, just enough to see by. Kabuto crouched beside Masaaki, a green glow of healing chakra enveloped his hand as he began to heal Masaaki's leg. After a few minutes Kabuto rocked back on his heels.

"That's all I can do for it here, but the wound's deep. You're better off going to the tower as soon as possible and getting it looked at there." He said, pushing his glasses up on his nose.

"Thanks." Masaaki said rubbing his leg. Kabuto nodded to him and stood up.

"Kabuto, can I talk to you for a second?" I asked, he nodded and followed me.

"What is it?" he asked as we walked away from Kei and Masaaki.

"I wouldn't normally ask this of anyone, but since I have no other choice, I need you to do something for me." I said. Kabuto frowned, slightly puzzled,

"Have you met Uchiha Sasuke?" I asked him. He nodded,

"He's quite promising."

"I made a promise to watch out for him, but since I'm unable at the moment, can you check on him for me?" I asked, looking away from him and up at the moon. Kabuto mulled over my request quietly until finally he said,

"I'm not going to ask who you made the promise to, but I'll make sure he and his team get to the tower safely." He said touching my hand reassuringly. I smiled up at him,

"Thank you. I owe you one." I said before heading back to my team and he went off into the darkness.

The walk to the tower was a bit faster now that Masaaki's leg was better. In a few hours we were safe inside the tower.

"Now what?" Masaaki asked Kei and I. We both looked at each other.

"We don't know." Kei said, "We never made it this far before." I sighed and sat down trying to think of what to do next. Kei helped Masaaki sit down and made him drink some of the remaining water we had.

"Anko-sensei said that once we are inside the tower should we open the scrolls." Kei said before drinking some of his own water.

"What if it's another trick, though?" Masaaki said, his voice cracking slightly with fear. I shook my head,

"No, we're definitely here." I said, digging into my pockets. I pulled out the silver lighter I carried around and lit it. The small light didn't do much, but it gave me some light. I stood and began searching for some kind of clue.

"Kei…can you lend me some fire?" I asked him. Kei stood and moved beside me. He pulled a flair from his pack and lit it. The flair's light illuminated the wall, revealing the scripture. We both spent a few minutes trying to decipher it.

"I think it's telling us to open the scrolls." Kei said. I nodded, agreeing and pulled the Earth scroll from my pack as Kei took the Heaven from his.

"On three." I said, "One…"

"Two…" Kei said.

"Three." Masaaki voiced and we both rolled open the scrolls.

"I withdraw." Masaaki said after Hayate gave us the opportunity. I wasn't surprised that he would, even he knew his leg would only hinder him.

"Name?" Hayate asked, coughing.

"Hiro Masaaki." He said and once Hayate crossed him off the list he left, giving us a final good luck smile.

"What is it?" Hokage-sama asked, drawing my attention back to the front. A familiar hand was raised.

"I'll quit." He said. After Hayate checked his name off, Kabuto walked silently out of the tower.

After the explanation of the preliminaries, we all waited to see who would be first. I gasped as his name flashed up on the screen first…Sasuke. Kei gently led me up to the balcony where we were to watch the battles. We stood next to a blonde boy and a pink haired girl, the remaining members of Sasuke's team. Whether Kei did that on purpose or not, I didn't know. Sasuke was to fight a member of Kabuto's team, Yoroi. Kabuto had told me a little about him, he said that Yoroi had a very unique style. He could absorb someone's chakra, making them powerless. The only thing that could stop him was taijutsu. I wished there was some way to let Sasuke know, but I couldn't. I gripped the railing, waiting for it to be over and hoping Sasuke would be victorious.

"He'll be fine." Kei said, trying to comfort me.

"I hope you're right. Yoroi is a strong opponent." I replied.

"You're hoping Sasuke wins too?" the pink haired girl asked somewhat protectively. I kept my eyes on Sasuke,

"I'm hoping he doesn't get too badly injured." I told her. The girl was quite for a moment, thinking I assumed.

"Do you know him?" she asked me. I nodded once,

"I've known him since he was a small child." I replied. I winced and gripped the rail harder as Sasuke was thrown to the ground.

"There's nothing you can do." Kei whispered gently. I closed my eyes and desperately tried to block out his cry. What Kei didn't know was that my reactions weren't for Sasuke now, they were for Sasuke back then. In my mind all I could see was blood and death and Itachi standing over his fallen little brother, bathed in blood of his family. All I could hear was Sasuke's screaming for help. Although I knew Itachi's reasons, and I believe that he had no other choice, it still kept me awake at night. Although he murdered his, and Sasuke's, family, he'd taken away mine as well. I dropped to my knees, my body reacting to the memories.

"Madoka?" Kei said touching my shoulder gently, trying to bring me back. I opened my eyes and took a few deep, shaky breaths.

"You were there weren't you?" asked a calm deep voice. I looked up into the eye of a silver haired, masked Jōnin. His gaze softened as he saw the pain in my eyes. The Jonin crouched beside me and rested a steady, strong hand on my shoulder,

"Sasuke will be fine, he has a reason to keep fighting." He said just loud enough for me to hear. _He fights so he can kill his brother…Itachi…_ My heart ached at the thought of him and I looked away from the silver-haired shinobi and back down to Sasuke. His facial expression had changed, his eyes were sharp and he was focused, he knew Yoroi's secret. In an instant Sasuke made his assault, Yoroi was tossed into the air as Sasuke appeared beneath him.

"Go Sasuke!" cried a blonde haired girl and the pink-haired girl screamed,

"Hell yeah, Sasuke!"

"Shishi Rendan!" Sasuke yelled as he used a series of kicks against Yoroi, pounding him into the ground and sending him flying in the other direction. I stood, mouth open, as Sasuke lay still, face down on the ground.

"Sasuke…" I whispered. Hayate moved to check Yoroi's pulse as Sasuke slowly got to his knees, wiping blood from his mouth.

"I will stop this match now." Hayate said as he stood, "The first match winner is Uchiha Sasuke." I closed my eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. When I reopened them, the silver-haired shinobi was walking beside Sasuke as they went to the medical centre. I frowned, _Was that shinobi Sasuke's sensei?_

I never thought I would have to fight Kei, especially since we were both in the same team. But there was no way to change what was on the screen. Neither one of us looked at each other as we made our way down to the arena.

"Are you sure about this, Madoka? Just because you're my team mate doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you." He said as he rolled his shoulders. A soft breeze found it's way into the arena though a crack somewhere and swirled around me, bringing with it a very faint smell of onigiri. It was my Itachi-wind, and as it caressed my skin I felt a surge of power within me. I narrowed my eyes at Kei, he under estimated my power.

"Are you ready?" I asked. I wasn't worried about myself, I just hoped I wouldn't have to kill him.

"Begin." Hayate said. Immediately Kei threw explosive kunai at me. I leapt back as they crashed onto the ground, covering me in a veil of smoke and dirt. _Perfect._ I thought as his attack worked in my favour. I made two shadow clones before the smoke dispersed. Kei looked at each of us, trying to determine which the real one was. The three of us charged as him and moved to attack, with me dropping back a little. Kei dodged our punches effortlessly, which didn't surprise me. He jumped backwards and one of my clones followed him while the other, using the distraction, snuck behind him. Kei was too smart for that of course, and he threw a Demon Winds shurikan out to the side. Pulling on the wire he'd attached to it, the shurikan swung back, collecting my clone as it went. The clone disappeared in a puff of smoke. In the same movement he pulled out two kunai and tossed them at my remaining clone. They sunk into the wall behind it.

"You missed." It said cockily. Kei just smiled as the clone began to charge forward again. Kei pulled and the wire that he had attached to the two kunai tightened around the clone. It vanished.

"Too bad you had to fight me, Madoka. I know all of your tricks." He said. I glared at him, trying to think of something. I had to get close enough to him to mark him, and once I had, it'd be over. _How to do it though? _I thought, _I need a diversion._

"My turn." He said and began forming hand seals. _Oh crap…_ I though as Kei slammed his palm to the ground. The earth began to shake as the terrain started to change dramatically. Columns of rock started to rise out of the ground in various places, and from them sprouted branches.

"What is that?" I heard someone as I dodged a rising column. _Kei's Stone Tree jutsu…_ I leapt behind a tree and hid.

"Come out Madoka. There's no use hiding." He called. I needed something fast. After thinking as quickly as I finally came up with a plan. _It's a long shot…_ I though as I formed two more clones. I sent one out to the left, told the other to stay where it was and wait until the first clone had disappeared before coming out, and I went right. The clone did as it was told as I and my other clone attacked Kei. He punched the clone and sent it sailing into a stone as my other clone appeared from behind a stone branch. Kei turned to it, thinking it was me,

"Using the same strategy as before, huh Madoka?" while he was distracted, I flew at him fist raised. He swatted my fist away quickly. I sailed past him and landed onto a branch opposite him. Kei charged at my clone, punching it. He gasped as it disappeared and felt the tip of one of my needles against his neck.

"How?" he asked me.

"I knew you knew that my clones can't mark people, so I posed as a clone and attacked. I told one to stay back and only come out after the first clone was dispersed, so you'd think it was me. When you hit my hand away, I marked you and waited for you to attack my clone." I explained.

"I was too over-confident." He said as he raised his hand, "I give up."

"Winner, Madoka." Hayate said. I backed away from Kei and put my needle back into its container. We both jumped down and he retracted his Stone Trees into the ground again.

I didn't stay to see the rest of the preliminaries; I needed to check on Sasuke. I followed the route I though Sasuke and the masked shinobi would have taken, only to come to a dead end.

"Damn…" I muttered as I turned to head back to the arena. Suddenly, my Itachi-wind encircled me with such force it made it impossible to walk forwards. The wind tugged fiercely on my clothes, pulling me back in the direction I came from, I decided to let it take me where I was supposed to be going. When the wind stopped, I found myself looking at a wall. I could hear what I thought to be birds chirping faintly through the wall.

"There must be a room on the other side." I said to no one. I pressed the palms of my hands against the wall and pushed, looking for some way to get in. All of a sudden, the birds stopped and the wall began to move. It opened with such speed I fell backwards, landing on my butt.

"What are you doing here?" asked a curious voice. I looked up to see the masked shinobi carrying an unconscious Sasuke.

"Sasuke!" I cried and quickly got to my feet.

"He's fine, just unconscious. I'm taking him to the hospital." He said smiling, trying to reassure me. I narrowed my eyes at him, something I'd never usually do to an unknown Jonin.

"I'm sure you know what happened to the Uchiha clan, Sensei, and I know you know who was behind it." I said darkly, "And I'm fairly sure you overheard what I said to your student. I've known Sasuke since he was very young, and I promised someone very close to him that I would look out for him. I intend to keep my promise, so I'd like it if you wouldn't lie to me." The masked shinobi's gaze hardened and then softened abruptly and he sighed.

"I know who you are, Madoka. Sasuke is the only remaining family you have, just as you are his." He said. I waited for him to continue, but he seemed to be debating whether or not to let me in on what had happened to Sasuke.

"Walk with me." He said as he began to walk away.

"Marked? By who?" I asked after the Jonin, who informed me his name was Hatake Kakashi, told me what happened to him.

"A former shinobi of Konoha, and one of the Third's old students. The Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru." He said as we reached the hospital. I tried to process what he'd said but none of it made any sense to me.

"Why?" I asked him. Kakashi shook his head,

"I have no idea." He confessed, "Anyway, Sasuke will be safe here. Go back to the tower, I'll be there soon." I nodded and quickly headed back to Kei and the others, all the while trying to figure out why Sasuke would be marked. I was so caught up I wasn't watching where I was going until I ran into the back of someone, and for the second time that day wound up on my butt.

"Madoka?" he said looking down at me with a puzzled face.

"Ouch." I mumbled rubbing my lower back.

"You know, for a shinobi, you're quite clumsy." Kabuto said grinning and holding out his hand. I took it and he pulled me up.

"Sorry Kabuto, I had a lot on my mind." I said, "By the way, how are you feeling?" He pushed his glasses up,

"Better, actually. I gather from your being here, you've already fought?" he asked. I nodded,

"Kei. It was tough but I won." I grinned up at him triumphantly. Kabuto chuckled and then his smile dropped,

"I'm actually quite glad you ran into me, Madoka. There's something I have to tell you. In two weeks' time, meet me here?" he asked. I frowned,

"Why not just tell me now?" I asked. Kabuto smiled down at me,

"Because there's some things I have to take care of first." He said.

_**The night sky was clear, no clouds at all. The billions of stars decorated the sky like diamonds and made it look like glitter on a black satin dress. The full moons light illuminated the meadow, and reflected back at itself in the small lake. Beneath my hand the grass was cool and soft, it tickled my skin like a feather. I sat with my legs extended, crossed at the ankles, my arms behind me, propping me up as I gazed at the starry sky. Although the air was cool, I wasn't cold. A gentle breeze kissed my skin and I knew I wasn't alone anymore. **_

"_**This is a dream, isn't it?" I asked him.**_

"_**Perhaps." He replied stepping out of the shadows. He looked so different. He was wearing a mesh shirt under a blue V-neck t-shirt with a sash around the waist, blue pants and a necklace with three metal rings on it. His onyx eyes that were once gentle, bore into mine. **_

"_**It's been a long time, Madoka." He said as he walked towards me, "And yet you're just how I pictured you." My heart beat quickened as he knelt over my legs and leant in close, his face just inches from mine. His warm breath left goosebumps on my skin every time he exhaled. His eyes became soft and he looked like he once did. He moved closer until his lips were gently touching mine. My eyes began to close as I tasted his lips for the first time. When he pulled back, he left me feeling light headed.**_

"_**Itachi…" I whispered. He smiled at the way I said his name.**_

"_**I've missed you, Madoka." He said tucking a strand of my blonde hair behind my ear. I rested my cheek against his warm hand briefly before turning to look at the lake.**_

"_**It's been hard without you." I said softly. Itachi dropped his hand and closed his eyes,**_

"_**I had no other choice." He said as he rocked back on his heels. I pulled my legs closer to me, giving him the space to sit down.**_

"_**I know." I said, "It was for the safety of Konoha." My tone was far more bitter than I intended.**_

"_**You're mad at me." He stated. I sighed and looked back at him,**_

"_**I'm not mad. I just…You and Sasuke are my only family, and you're not here." I said, a tear rolling down my cheek. Itachi gently wiped the tear away and pulled me into his lap. **_

"_**I'm here now." He said cradling me against his chest, "I'm always with you." He took my hand in his and held up my first finger along with his, locking them together.**_

"_**Two against the world." I whispered.**_

"_**Two against the world." He repeated. For a while we just sat there in silence, just content to be in each other's company again, until my curiosity got the better of me.**_

"_**Itachi?" I asked.**_

"_**Hmm?"**_

"_**Why are you here?" Itachi sighed,**_

"_**I had to tell you something, something you're not going to like." He said.**_

"_**You're the second person who's said they had to tell me something." I muttered.**_

"_**Who was the first?" he asked, diverging from what he was about to say.**_

"_**My friend, Yakushi Kabuto." I said. Itachi frowned after I said his name,**_

"_**What is it?" I said, leaning away from him to study his face.**_

"_**Nothing. Just be careful around him." He said sternly. I knew he was hiding something.**_

"_**Itachi…What is it?" I repeated. Itachi sighed and closed his eyes, giving in.**_

"_**He's not who he says he is. He used to be a part of the organization I'm now in." Itachi told me. I stared at him puzzled,**_

"_**What are you saying?"**_

"_**Yakushi Kabuto is a spy and is loyal to a traitor to Konoha, Orochimaru." He said. I gasped,**_

"_**Orochimaru?" I asked him, hoping he said something else.**_

"_**You've heard of him?" he asked. I bit my lip, something I did when I didn't want to tell someone something. Itachi gripped my shoulders,**_

"_**Madoka, what happened?" **_

"_**It's Sasuke…During the Second Exam sometime, he was marked by Orochimaru. I tried to keep an eye out for him but we were attacked and got separated…I asked Kabuto to watch out for him when we ran into him on our way to the tower." Itachi's eyes were furious, and for a moment I thought he was going to seriously hurt me.**_

"_**That bastard. He couldn't get me so he went after Sasuke. I should have killed him when I had the chance." He hissed angrily. I felt rage heating my blood,**_

"_**He tried to get you too?" I asked, my voice laced with fury. Itachi's face softened,**_

"_**It doesn't matter anymore, I'll deal with him. But time's almost up and I still have to tell you something." He said. I swallowed my anger and waited for him to continue.**_

"_**The organization I'm a part of, Akatsuki, is after demon's called Bijuu, tailed-beasts." He said.**_

"_**You mean like the Kyuubi?" I asked. He nodded,**_

"_**A lot of the Bijuu have been sealed into people who control them, called Jinchuuriki." He continued.**_

"_**And to get the Bijuu you have to get the Jinchuuriki?" Itachi smiled,**_

"_**Still as sharp as ever." He said.**_

"_**I grew up with Uchiha's, what do you expect." I said, Itachi continued to smile at me,**_

"_**Growing up with Uchiha's has nothing to do it." I grinned and kissed his cheek.**_

"_**So what does that have to do with…there's a Jinchuuriki in Konoha, right?" I said, figuring it out. He nodded,**_

"_**And you're the one sent to get it." I stated. **_

"_**Kind of. My partner and I have been assigned to assess him." He said, "You have to keep Sasuke away. If he finds out, I'll have no choice but to fight him." I nodded, agreeing to his request. He looked up at the sky as it lightened,**_

"_**Times up." He said sadly.**_

"_**Will I see you again?" I asked him. He smiled,**_

"_**Two against the world."**_

After weeks of endless training sessions, the Third Exam was finally upon us. With my mind being elsewhere, Kei and I walked quietly towards the arena.

"Madoka, you really need to focus. You could get killed today." He said. I sighed,

"I know." It was difficult for me to concentrate on the Exam when I had so many things buzzing around in my head. Like how long will it be until Itachi arrives? Will Sasuke succumb to Orochimaru's mark? What did Kabuto want to tell me but never did? Those were important to me, not some stupid fight.

"Are you listening to me?" Kei asked. I blinked and looked up at him,

"Sorry, no." I admitted. Kei rolled his eyes,

"I said, you have to go in there." He said pointing to another door off to the side of the main gates.

"Oh. Right." I said and headed towards it. The shinobi at the door guided me through and I found myself walking into a big arena. Some examinees were already there, waiting. I took my place next to Neji and waited quietly with the others. I drifted so much into my own thoughts, that I barely registered someone talking to me.

"You know, I have to say, your battle was pretty amazing." He said. I looked up at the tall, black cladded male beside me. He was tall, wore a black hood that looked like it had cat ears, and purple triangular face paint.

"Thanks. You're the guy with the puppets right?" I asked, trying to sound polite. He grinned and nodded,

"I'm Kankuro." He held out his hand, waiting for me to shake it.

"Madoka." I replied taking his hand. Instead of shaking it, he brought it up to his lips and kissed his softly. As his lips brushed my skin a powerful wind enveloped him until he dropped my hand.

"What the hell was that about?" he asked, looking around as I tried to stifle a laugh. _I guess my dream wasn't a dream after all._ I thought as I looked up towards the sky. My attention was caught by the Hokage Monument, more directly, the Fourth's face. For some reason I'd always looked to his face for guidance, and it had always made me feel better. It was like I felt connected to him in some way.

"You look like him." Kankuro commented.

"Huh?" I asked using my fabulous vocabulary.

"That guy you're staring at on the cliff. The last one." He said.

"You mean Yondaime Hokage?" I asked, "That's ridiculous." Kankuro grinned,

"How so?"

"Because he was a great shinobi, famous throughout the land. Konoha's Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze." I said, "And well, I never knew my real family. I'm an orphan." Kankuro's grin disappeared,

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything." He said as Naruto charged into the arena screaming something about something chasing him.

*Author's note; I'm going to skip the rest of the battles and Gaara and Naruto's fight. We'll start off just after the Third dies.*

I couldn't believe what had happened. Konoha was partially destroyed, Sasuke had run off after Gaara and I had lost track of him, again. _Why on earth did Itachi ask me to do this?_ I wondered as I ran through the forest, trying to find him. I skidded to a stop as I saw a hooded figure come into view. The figure was talking to a group of people; one of them looked badly injured. His arms were black and hanging limply by his sides. His mannerisms reminded me of a snake. The hooded man removed his hood and I gasped as I saw the familiar ash-grey pony tail. All six of them looked up in my direction. _Damn!_ Two of the other people, not holding the injured man up moved to attack me, but Kabuto held up a hand to stop them. He turned back to the group, smiling, and told them something. The injured man frowned and then said something to the others. The five of them turned and left.

"Madoka, please come down." Kabuto called, his back still to me. I narrowed my eyes and jumped.

"What's the meaning of this, Kabuto?" I asked him suspiciously. He turned to me then, his smile fading from his lips.

"I've wanted to tell you for so long, Madoka, I just didn't know how." He said.

"That man, with the dead arms, he's Orochimaru, isn't he? He was the one who marked Sasuke, and tried to destroy our home?" Kabuto sighed,

"Your home." He corrected, "It's more complicated than that but essentially, yes." I couldn't believe it, Itachi was right.

"Why? Why did you let this happen?" I asked, blinking back tears as I stared at the man who'd been my closest friends for years.

"He gave me a life. Ever since I could remember, I had no idea who I was. Being a spy for ROOT, I had to constantly change my identity. Do you know how hard it is to do that when you don't have an identity in the first place?" he asked. Although we were both orphans, Kabuto and I were completely different. It's true that I didn't know who my true family was, and that the only family I ever had were killed, and now the only family I have left are so distant to me. But I never let that change who I was inside.

"Orochimaru-sama gave me an identity. I am completely loyal to him." Kabuto finished.

"You're talking about him like he's something great." I growled.

"He is. He's one of the Legendary Sannin." he said, telling me something I already knew, "Madoka, please, come with me?"

"What?" I asked, surprised that he would request such a thing. Kabuto took a step towards me and held out his hand,

"Come with me. Orochimaru-sama can give you a life too." He said. I shook my head,

"He hurt my family…"

"Don't worry about Sasuke, he'll be joining us soon anyway." He said taking another step towards me. I took a step backwards,

"Kabuto, I made a promise." I said. Kabuto's face grew angry,

"And how long do you intend on keeping a promise to the dead?" he hissed.

"He's not dead." I growled before I realized what I'd said. Kabuto frowned,

"What did you say?"

"Nothing. It doesn't matter. What does matter is that I'm staying. I won't tell them that I saw you, my only concern is Sasuke." I said and headed back to Konoha before I could say anything else stupid.

I dressed solemnly the next morning, in the tradition black dress of mourning. It was going to be a sad day, the funeral of the Third and all the fallen Konoha shinobi. As I stepped outside I looked up at the sky, it was grey, just like all of Konoha. I began walking to where the funeral was to be held when I suddenly had the feeling to go to the monument for the fallen shinobi. I turned and headed in the opposite direction. When I got there I saw a lone figure standing in front of it, so I turned to leave.

"Come to pay your respects to your family?" he asked. I turned back to him; he was still facing the stone, head down.

"Truth be told, Kakashi-sensei, I don't know why I came here." I replied walking up to him, "I just felt like I had to." He grunted thoughtfully,

"Perhaps you were guided here, if you believe such thing." He said.

"Perhaps." I replied and began to read the names on the monument. One name in particular caught my attention, Uchiha Obito.

"You were on his team, weren't you?" I asked.

"Yes." Kakashi replied sadly.

"My adoptive parents told me stories about him. They said that he sacrificed himself to save his comrades. I always thought he was the bravest person I'd ever heard of." I said.

"He taught me a lot." He replied. I looked up at the silver-haired man; the pain in his eyes was almost unbearable.

"You come here every day, don't you?" I said. Kakashi turned to me then,

"How did you know?" he asked. I looked back at the monument,

"Sasuke told me that you were always late when meeting up with them. He figured you had some reason, and so you always made up ridiculous excuses." I replied, "I just put two and two together."

"You're quite sharp, Madoka. You remind me of the Fourth." He said, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Why does everyone say that." I muttered, "Are you coming?" Kakashi shook his head,

"I'm going to stay here for a little while longer." He said. I gave him a half-smile and headed to the funeral.

It had rained during the funeral, seeming like the sky was crying too, and although I was sad for the loss of the Third and so many shinobi, I just stared at the Fourth's face, searching his stone eyes for something. _Why do I feel so connected to you? You died when I was very small, so I could never have known you, and yet I feel as though you're a part of me, like you're watching over me. _I thought as I stared into his face even after the funeral, _who are you to me?_ Just then my Itachi-wind danced around my body and raced behind me to the wall around Konoha. I saw two distant figures standing on the wall, they were too far away to make out any detail, but I knew instinctively who it was.

"Itachi…" I whispered.

That night I was restless, sleep evaded me as my body knew that Itachi was here somewhere. I finally gave up, dressed and headed out into the night. I didn't know where I was going, I had no destination; I just walked staring at the ground. It wasn't until I kicked something metallic that I stopped to see where I was. Looking down, I tried to make out what I'd kicked. It looked like an old rusty kunai. Picking it up, I surveyed my surroundings. I was in the Uchiha training grounds.

"I thought you'd come here." Said a low, calm voice. My heart beat quickened as shivers ran down my spine.

"Itachi…" I whispered as his arms encircled my waist. He rested his head on my shoulder; his warm breath tickled my skin.

"Good evening, Madoka." He whispered.

"I was wondering when you'd turn up." I said, trying to keep my voice steady. He chuckled quietly,

"I'm sorry I kept you waiting." I turned in his arms and buried my face into his chest. He was wearing something different to what he was in my dream.

"Are you okay, you seem…different?" he said, concern creeping into his voice. I sighed,

"I just feel like I'm failing. I feel like I haven't done anything to help Sasuke. After you left, we were very close for a few years, and then he just started to become more and more distant. And now, the last time we spoke was just before the Second Exam." I confessed.

"It's not your fault; you're doing the best you can, Madoka. I expected this to happen, that's why I asked you not to let him know I'm here, and to keep him away." He said.

"What happens when he gets beyond my reach, Itachi?" I asked, pulling away from him so I could look him in the eyes.

"When that time comes, he'll be ready to face me." He said.

"Have you ever considered telling him the truth?" I asked. Itachi shook his head,

"He can't ever know. You know that." He said and took my hand, "Walk with me?" We walked side by side in silence for a while and to me it felt just like when we were younger. We'd used to walk in silence all the time, comfortable enough in each other's presence not to say anything. When he stopped I realized we were in the small clearing in the woods where he would tell her stories of his clan.

"It's been a long time since I've been here." He said walking out ahead of me. The full moon's light beamed down on him, allowing me to see his new attire. He wore a long black cloak with red clouds on it and a high collar.

"It's been a long time for both of us." I said. Itachi turned to face me,

"Do you remember what I told you the night I left?" he asked as he removed the cloak, revealing the clothes he was wearing in the dream.

"You told me a lot of things, Itachi." I replied, trying not to stare at his body. He smirked,

"The last thing I told you." He clarified as he walked back over to me, dropping his cloak onto the ground. My eyes never left his as he walked towards me. My heart pounded, my head spun and my breathing stopped.

"That you loved me." I whispered as he stopped right in front of me and leaned in close.

"Love you." He corrected, his breath warming my lips. He placed his hands on my hips and pulled me close to him, pressing his lips hard against mine. My knees grew weak as I melted into him. When the kiss ended we were both breathing heavily.

"I missed you." He whispered as he pulled us to the ground and me into his lap again.

"You told me already." I giggled. Itachi grinned at me,

"I know, I wanted to tell you again." He said, "I missed being around you like this, where I can actually smile and laugh." I rested my head against his shoulders,

"It's been like that for me too. I feel like I always have to guard my feelings and thoughts around everyone, especially Sasuke. And now, I guess I should have around Kabuto as well." I said softly. Itachi frowned,

"What happened?"

"Orochimaru happened. During the final Exam, Gaara, Sasuke's opponent, went crazy and fled into the forest. Orochimaru destroyed half of the village, and killed the Third. When I went to look for Sasuke I ran into them, and Kabuto. He asked me to go with him." I told him. Itachi's grip tightened around me.

"I said no." I told him before he got angry, "I made a promise to you to watch out for Sasuke, and no matter how bad I'm doing I intend to keep that promise." Itachi smiled down at me,

"I'm glad to see your personality hasn't changed at all. You were never really good at giving up." I remembered the time I talked Itachi into sparring with me. It went on for hours as I refused to give up, even though he kept beating me, until finally I managed to get behind him. That was the day I first realized I could move at amazing speeds. I'd shown my sensei and he took me to the Third. The Third said that because of my speed I could perform the Fourth's Flying Thunder God jutsu.

"Sometimes it pays off." I said resting my head against his chest.

"Madoka," Itachi said after a while of being silent, "I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, but I doubt I'll be staying much longer."

"Well then, let's make tonight count." I said.

I woke early the next morning with my head on Itachi's chest, his arm around me and his cloak covering us. He was already awake and staring at the pink sky.

"I have to go. Kisame will be wondering where I am." He said softly. I sighed and sat up,

"I should be getting back too. There's someone I have to check on." I said as I stood and stretched.

"I get the feeling you're not talking about Sasuke." He said as he also stood and put his cloak back on.

"Uzumaki Naruto." I replied. Itachi chuckled under his breath,

"What?" I asked turning back to look at him.

"He's the Jinchuuriki." He replied. I frowned,

"I never would have guessed…"

"I didn't know you knew him." He said.

"I don't really, all I know is that he's in Sasuke's team, and seems to care a great deal about him. I want to get to know him more." I said, "Call it a feeling." Itachi raised an eyebrow at me,

"Your instincts have always been good, Madoka, but please don't get too attached to him." He warned me.

"Why not?" I asked putting my hands on my hips. Itachi smiled and pulled me into a hug,

"Just trust me." He said before kissing the top of my head, letting me go and walking into the forest.

"Hey, Itachi!" I called out to him, "Two against the world."

"Two against the world." The wind carried his voice back to me.

On my way back to the village I decided to go past the training grounds in the forest. As I got closer I could hear someone training. The orange jumpsuit and bright, spikey blonde hair gave it away. He lay on the ground briefly, catching his breath. I found myself smiling at his inability to give up.

"Do you usually train lying on your back like that?" I asked, stepping out from behind the tree. Naruto sat bolt up in surprise.

"Uh..Um…I was just having a break." He said scratching the back of his head, "Hey, aren't you Sasuke's friend?"

"You could say that." I replied walking over to him, picking some healing herbs on my way.

"I'm almost done here if you wanted to train." He said. I shook my head as I sat in front of him.

"I didn't come here to train. I was on my way back to the village and heard you, so I decided to swing past." I said taking his arm and packing the wound he'd gotten with the herbs.

"You really should take more care of yourself." I said. Naruto chuckled,

"You sound like a mother." I frowned at his comment.

"I wouldn't really know what a mother sounds like." I replied truthfully before ripping off a part of my dress. Naruto cocked his head to the side,

"You never knew your mother?" he asked. I shook my head as I bandaged his arm,

"I never knew either of my real parents."

"You're like me." He said sadly. Our silence was interrupted by his stomach rumbling.

"Well, it looks like you're hungry." I said happily, trying to lighten the mood, "Care to join me in some ramen?" Naruto's eyes light up brightly,

"Ramen?"


	2. Complicated

Chapter two; Complicated.

*Author's note; I'm skipping everything leading up to and when Sasuke leaves. But I'll give a little information on what happened – The night Sasuke leaves, Madoka confronts him and tells him that she's going with him no matter what he says. He knows that she has the power to stop him, so he agrees reluctantly. They're both now with Orochimaru.*

"_**Madoka, are you awake?" he called quietly from the doorway.**_

"_**Yeah, Sasuke, come in." I said as I leant over to light another candle. Sasuke walked hesitantly into my room, shoulder slouched, hands covering his chest as if he was protecting himself from an invisible enemy. For a moment he just stood in the middle of the room, head down not looking at anything.**_

"_**What's wrong, Sasuke-kun?" I asked him. **_

"_**N-nothing." He whispered. I smiled at him,**_

"_**It's okay, Sasuke-kun, you can tell me." I said kindly. He looked up at me with wide, dark eyes. I patted the bed beside me as tears began to form. He quickly raced over and flung himself into my arms, crying into my chest. I let him cry until he was hiccupping quietly.**_

"_**I had *hiccup* a dream about them *hiccup*." He whispered. I sighed sadly and pulled him into my lap, hugging him closer.**_

"_**Do you know what it means to dream about someone, Sasuke?" I asked as I gently rocked us side to side. He shook his head,**_

"_**It means that they're thinking about you." I told him, remembering my dreams for the last few nights. Sasuke pushed back and stared up at me, his eyes wide with wonder,**_

"_**Are they really thinking about me?" he asked incredulous.**_

"_**I bet they are." I said softly. Sasuke smiled, yawned and then rested his head against my chest.**_

"_**Hey, Madoka?" **_

"_**Hmm?"**_

"_**Can I stay here tonight?" **_

"Madoka, wake up." I opened my eyes only to see darkness again. The door opened slowly, the light revealing a stone wall and a silhouette of a boy. I hated it here.

"What is it, Sasuke?" I asked, wishing he was the boy from all those years ago.

"Kabuto wants to talk to you about something." He said and left before I had a chance to ask what. Groaning I got out of bed and headed into the mazelike hallways. I sighed deeply as I made my way to Kabuto's room. I really did hate this place. I knocked on Kabuto's door and waited for him to reply.

"Enter." He called. Kabuto's room was filled with medical scrolls, vials full of liquid and the occasional corpse.

"You wanted to talk to me?" I asked him as I leant against the door. Kabuto turned around from his desk to look at me,

"You're unhappy here, aren't you?" he asked, his face shifted from expressionless to concern. I looked at the ground, unwilling to answer.

"If you didn't like it here, why did you come?" he asked me. I looked up at him now,

"I came because of Sasuke. We may not be as close as we used to be, but to me, I still consider him my younger brother." I told him truthfully. Kabuto smiled,

"So it's got nothing to do with the promise you made to Uchiha Itachi?" My eyes narrowed,

"Leave him out of this." I hissed angrily.

"But that's why I called you here. To talk about him." He said, "Sit?" Still glaring at him, I sat down on the edge of his bed, where he indicated.

"Ever since that day you confronted me and accidentally let me know that you knew Itachi was still alive, and that you'd promised him that you'd look after Sasuke, I've been wondering why he would entrust you with such a task." He said. I clenched my jaw, _Shit, I'm such an idiot._

"So now, I'm asking. Why?" he asked. I closed my eyes and sighed, luckily I had already thought of a plan in case someone ever found out.

"He made me promise to watch out for him to make sure that one day he could face Itachi. To him, Sasuke is the ultimate way to test his capability." I told him, using exactly what Itachi had told me he'd said to Sasuke. Kabuto leant against his desk and pushed his glasses up before crossing his arms.

"Itachi and Sasuke-kun's aunt and uncle took you in when you were only very small, and although you weren't of Uchiha blood, the clan still treated you as such. So why did Itachi spare your life as well? Surely it wasn't because he wanted to test his capability against you." He said. I shook my head,

"No. It wasn't that. Itachi can never hurt me, he said so himself." I confessed. Kabuto frowned, puzzled, and waited for me to continue.

"Ever since we were small we'd been virtually inseparable. His mother often teased us by calling me his girlfriend." I said, smiling at the memory of Mikoto's teasing smile and Itachi's embarrassed face.

"I had always admired Itachi, he was the only one who truly understood me, and I him. Then one day, Fugaku, Itachi's father, having grown tired of our and Mikoto's childish delusions decided to put a stop to it. He summoned both Itachi and I and forbade us from ever being together, stating that the Uchiha bloodline had to stay pure and that Itachi could never be with someone who wasn't an Uchiha. And so Fugaku arranged for Itachi to be betrothed to a relative of his. It was hard on both of us. And yet, we couldn't stand to be a part, so we'd often sneak off to be with each other. The only person who knew about it was Mikoto, Itachi's mother." I told him.

"So he couldn't kill you because you were the only person who understood him, and because you two loved each other?" Kabuto asked, summing up what I said.

"Yes, and so I could be the embodiment of the pain he caused for Sasuke." I replied, again using Itachi's words.

"Well, that explains why you were always so distant when it came to dating." He said scratching the back of his head. I smiled, remembering the boys I'd shot down, Kabuto among them.

"So now you know." I said looking up at him, "Are you going to tell Orochimaru?" Kabuto sighed,

"It seems you know me better than I'd hoped." He admitted.

"I've known you a long time Kabuto, and I know that you wouldn't go asking about my history or personal life of your own free will, otherwise you'd have done it a long time ago." I said. He gave me an apologetic smile,

"It's true that Orochimaru-sama wanted to know about your relationship with Itachi. But, if you want, I could lie for you." He said. I shook my head,

"It's fine. He'd probably find out anyway." I said as I stood up. As I stretched, I noticed an old, somewhat rotting arm on Kabuto's desk. I frowned,

"What is that?" I asked him. Kabuto looked in the direction I was pointing,

"Orochimaru-sama's arm." He said simply, "With some assistance from Uchiha Itachi anyway." My eyes widened,

"So it was true…" I whispered.

"What was?" Kabuto asked.

"I'd just heard that they were in the same organization, is all. But I never believed it." I lied.

"Yeah, Akatsuki. But Orochimaru-sama left that organization a few years ago." He said.

I stood in the doorway, afraid to go any further into the darkness. My heart pounded in my chest and my legs wanted to run as far away as possible. I'd never been summoned by Orochimaru himself before.

"You interest me, Madoka-chan." He said from the darkness. I gulped as his snake-like voice echoed around me.

"Kabuto informed me that you had an interesting relationship with Uchiha Itachi?" he said.

"Yes." I replied, although I didn't like Orochimaru at all, I knew better than to disrespect him. He chuckled,

"Wonderful." He said, "I have a task for you." I looked up into the darkness, eyes wide with surprise.

"I want you to infiltrate Akatsuki, and report back with whatever information you think will benefit me." He ordered. I swallowed again before saying,

"Understood." And left. After closing the door, I smiled. It had worked out exactly the way I wanted it to. I knew all along that once Kabuto told Orochimaru he would want me to join Akatsuki, since Itachi would be on my side, and then spy for him.

"What are you so happy about?" Sasuke asked as we met in the hallway.

"Orochimaru wants me to infiltrate Akatsuki and relay information back to him." I told him. Sasuke's face turned dark,

"Itachi's a member of Akatsuki." He said angrily. I feigned surprise,

"Really? There was no way I could let Sasuke know that I knew about Itachi. He looked at me puzzled,

"And you're still going to go?" he asked. I sighed and looked down, pretending to be conflicted.

"It's Orochimaru's orders." I said softly and clenched my fists.

"Since when did you give a damn about what he has to say?" he asked. I looked up at him, he had his arms folded over his chest.

"Since you decided to join him." I said. Again, Sasuke looked at me puzzled.

"Why did you even come here?"

"I made a promise to someone important to watch out for you, Sasuke. Even if you don't want me to, or become far more powerful and don't need me anymore, that promise means everything to me. You mean everything to me, Sasuke. You're the only person left who I can call family. Even if you come to hate me, I'll always be there for you." I said, very real tears building. The truth was I meant everything I said to him. His eyes widened as I finished speaking,

"You…" Sasuke clenched his fist at his side, "You sound the way he used to!" Sasuke promptly spun on his heel and walked off down the hall. Something wet splashed onto my cheek as he went. As I watched Sasuke walk away, I gently touched the liquid. It was a very rare thing to see Sasuke cry, it was even rarer for him to cry over Itachi. Even though years had passed, he was still raw about it, and I believed he would be until they faced each other.

"Madoka-chan?" Kabuto touched my shoulder softly.

"Look after him, Kabuto. That boy is going to be something great one day." I said before heading back to my room.

The next morning I had set out in hopes of finding Akatsuki. Orochimaru hadn't told me where they were, so I had no idea how I was going to find them. I decided my best bet was to just walk aimlessly around until I came across them. Luckily, Kabuto had given me a description of three of the members, and a description of their attire. Black cloaks with red clouds and conical straw hats with small ornamental torques and tassels hanging down over their faces. It was a good thing not many people wore the same clothes. As I wandered I kept a lookout for the clothes, or the three members. A small red-headed man, who looked like a boy around my age but was actually 30 something. He had big brown eyes and wore a usually travelled in a puppet which looked like a crippled old man. The second was one of the Seven Swordsmen from the Mist, and also Itachi's partner, Hoshigaki Kisame. He was tall and very muscular; he also had a sharklike appearance, and carried a large bandaged sword on his back. The third was another tall and muscular shinobi, who wore a white hood and black mask. His eyes were unique; green irises, no pupils and red sclera. As unique as these men were, they would still be almost impossible to find. I was betting my chances on finding Kisame, since there weren't many shark-like men around. Plus I remembered Itachi saying something about a man named Kisame. If I was going to run into anyone, I was praying it would be Itachi.

As I walked around a post town near Yugakure, I kept a lookout for someone who fit Kisame's appearance. But even after two days of being there, there was nothing. So I decided to keep going. As I walked the streets, I saw a glimpse of black and red fabric. My heartbeat quickened as I followed the two men. One was tall and the other a little shorter. At first I thought it could be Kisame and Itachi, but the tall man wasn't carrying a sword. And the shorter man was carrying a triple-bladed scythe on his back. My hopes dropped as I came closer to them.

"I can't believe you talked me into going on another of your fucking stupid bounties! This is fucking ridiculous." The shorter one said angrily.

"We need money to eat." The taller one said irritably. They turned into a small, empty restaurant, and I followed. I sat down a few tables away from them and ordered some food. As I was waiting, I could feel eyes burning into my skin and so I looked up from the book I was reading. Green, pupiless eyes were staring at me. _His eyes…he must be one of the members Kabuto had told me about. I should look away, but I just…can't._ His eyes were captivating me and it wasn't until the other man turned around that I could look away. Every now and then I would glance back up, and his eyes would still be on me. Finally my food came and I could concentrate on something else for the moment. Or so I thought. Big fists crashed onto the table beside me, making everything rock.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?!" he demanded, "Do you actually think you can follow us without us noticing? How fucking stupid do you think we are?!"

"Actually," I said closing my book and looking up at him, "I was hoping you would notice." The man narrowed his purple eyes,

"Don't push me, bitch." He hissed. I smiled and rested my chin on my hands.

"Shall we make a bet?" I asked, getting the other's attention immediately.

"What kind of bet?" he asked before the obnoxious guy could speak.

"You win; I give you all my money, and trust me, there's a lot. If I win you two take me to your hideout." I put on my best "Temptress" eyes. The man with green eyes thought for a moment,

"What do we have to do?" I smirked,

"Meet me at the forest edge in exactly half an hour and I'll tell you." I said before paying for my meal and leaving. I headed straight to where I said I would meet them and sent two clones to scope the area before sitting down and moulding chakra. I felt them coming before too long.

"Okay, we're here. Now what the fuck do we have to do?" the obnoxious one asked. I smiled as I opened my eyes and pulled out two pieces of green ribbon.

"Tie these around some part of your bodies." I said tossing them the ribbons. The older one raised an eyebrow but did as I instructed.

"Basically, this will be like a game of tag. All you two have to do is catch me while I try to get both your ribbons at the same time in less than five minutes." I said simply, "If you catch me, you win. But if I succeed, I win."

"That's all? That's fucking easy!"

"When do we start?" asked the older one. I smirked,

"Now." As soon as I said that he charged at me. My smirk stayed in place as he dove right through me.

"Kakuzu, you fucking idiot! You missed!" the obnoxious one said laughing. The older one, Kakuzu, growled as he turned to face me. The obnoxious one swung his triple-bladed scythe and swore as it missed.

"My turn." I said before disappearing into the forest. The two chased after me and I sent out one of my clones to intercept them. The fell for it, and chased my clone while I waited behind a tree. When my clone had disappeared I used my Flying Thunder God jutsu and appeared soundlessly behind them. By the time they realized it was too late. I'd secured both of their ribbons and had jumped back to the tree behind them, dangling the ribbons.

"You fucking cheat!" the younger one roared. I smiled,

"Never said there were any rules." I said.

"You fucking bitch!" he roared and moved to attack me, but Kakuzu held his arm out to stop him.

"Hidan, we lost. There's no use fighting over it. Let's just go." He said. Hidan glared at me but obeyed his partner.

After days and nights of walking we finally came to a cave that's entrance was sealed by a huge boulder. Kakuzu and Hidan both placed their hands on the rock and it split down the middle, creating a door.

"Ladies first." Hidan said sarcastically and I walked through on my guard in case it was a trap. To my surprise all that was there was an empty cave. The door closed after Kakuzu and Hidan walked through. I followed them into the caves depths until we came to a fork. The left was pitch black, and the right was dimly lit. They both took the path to the left. Kakuzu ran his hand along the wall of the cave until something went click, and stairs appeared in the floor. We headed down into a stone hallway. It reminded me of Orochimaru's place. We followed the hallway until it lead to a door. As I walked through the door I found myself in a large living room, complete with couches and television. There were four other doors branching off from the room.

"Seems no one's home yet." Hidan said just as a door opened and a tall, shark-like man entered the room, a shorter man with dark eyes and black hair following.

"Itachi…" I whispered as he looked up into my eyes. He froze and stared at me in surprise.

"Madoka? What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Can we talk somewhere private?"

Itachi led me up to his room and put a seal to soundproof it on the door.

"I didn't think it would happen this quickly." Itachi said as he leant against the door and I sat on his bed cross-legged.

"Neither did I, but everything went to plan. Although I didn't expect Sasuke to find out so soon." I said remembering the tears he couldn't keep in.

"He needed another reason, Madoka. You leaving to join me was it. When the time comes to tell Kabuto that you've defected from Orochimaru to join Akatsuki, Sasuke will believe that I've taken everything away from him again." He said. I sighed,

"Don't you think that's a bit much?" I asked. Itachi shook his head,

"It will help him become stronger and eventually overthrow Orochimaru." He said.

"I guess you're right." I said sadly. Itachi's face softened and he sat next to me on the bed.

"You're worried about him aren't you." He stated. I sighed and looked at the white sheets.

"It's not just him I'm worried about, Itachi." I said and looked into his obsidian eyes.

"Madoka, you shouldn't worry about me. I've planned this from the start, you know that." He said and ran a finger down my cheek.

"I guess I'm just hoping you'd change your mind." I replied closing my eyes and nuzzling into his hand. Itachi sighed,

"You really do never give up." He said sweetly and kissed my forehead. A knock at the door disturbed our somewhat peaceful moment. Itachi stood, walked over to the door and removed the seal.

"Itachi?" a voice called. Itachi opened the door to Hoshigaki Kisame.

"What on earth are you doing in here?" he asked as he walked in and saw me sitting on the bed.

"So, Hidan was right. You two do know each other." He said crossing his arms over his chest and giving Itachi a look, "We've been partners for so long and you never even mentioned this…"

"Kisame, what do you want?" Itachi said, his voice becoming cold once more. He reminded me of Sasuke.

"Leader-sama called for you." He said and then looked back at me, "And you're to bring her."

I didn't expect to be called by the leader of Akatsuki so soon, and yet there I was standing in an empty dark room with Itachi. Suddenly a projection appeared in front of us and opened it's eyes to reveal the purple ripple-pattern of the Rinnegan.

"Itachi…" he said, I gulped, "Tobi has informed me of your plan to bring this girl in as a double agent." The leaders eyes fell on me,

"But can we trust her not to revert back to Orochimaru?" Itachi huffed,

"She won't. I trust her with my life." He said honestly. I looked over at him in surprise and supressed a smile. The leader's eyes narrowed,

"It's not like you to trust your life in anyone's hands, Itachi." He said thoughtfully, "Very well. What is your name, girl?"

"Madoka." I replied, not looking him in the eyes.

"Madoka, you will tell Tobi what you know about Orochimaru when he arrives back. From now on you are a spy for Akatsuki, you will be paired with Zetsu." The leader said.

"Zetsu?" Itachi asked surprised.

"Is there a problem?" the leader asked and Itachi shook his head, "Very well." And with that he disappeared again.

"Itachi…" I asked, "What have you gotten me into?"

That night by body was restless. I'd been given a room down the hall from Itachi, in between Kakuzu and Hidan. After an hour of staring at the ceiling I finally decided to go pay my love a late night visit. To my surprise Hidan was in the hallway leaning against his door.

"And where do you think you're going?" he asked. I tried to maintain eye contact with the half-naked man.

"I don't think that's any of your business, Hidan." I replied curtly with a hand on my hip. Hidan's purple eyes looked me up and down in a manner I wasn't at all comfortable with. His gaze lingered over my chest for a moment too long.

"I'm thinking about making it my business." He said as a wide smirk spread across his lips. I glared at him and crossed my arms over my chest.

"You'd have to catch me first, and you remember how well that worked for you last time." I said becoming irritated with the whole thing. Hidan narrowed his purple eyes at me,

"You fucking bitch, you fucking cheated. You lured us in under false pretences." He hissed. I raised an eyebrow at him,

"Actually, I didn't say anything. You just assumed you could catch me." I replied smugly. Hidan face radiated with anger as he raised a hand to hit me. I closed my eyes and waited for the impact, but it never came.

"Hidan, it would be wise never to touch her." Said a cool, harsh voice. I opened my eyes to see an arm in front of my face, gripping Hidan's wrist.

"Fuck you Uchiha." Hidan growled before wrenching his wrist free and heading back into his room, slamming the door behind him.

"Are you okay?" Itachi asked putting an arm around my shoulders and guiding me down the hall. I nodded,

"Yeah, I'm fine." I assured him. He smiled down at me,

"So what were you doing anyway?" he asked. My cheeks turned pink before I answered,

"Well actually," I said suddenly becoming shy, "I was coming to see you."

"Oh really? That's funny." Itachi said smiling mischievously, "I was coming to see you." My cheeks turned bright red as his arm dropped from my shoulders to my waist.

I stood awkwardly in the middle of Itachi's room while he closed the door and placed soundproof and locking seals on it. His room was just like all the others, stone walls and floors, wooden door, large bed with plain sheets. He had a desk against the far wall of the room right next to a large book case filled with hundreds of books and scrolls. Next to his bed was a small bedside table with a lamp and an opened book which means he was reading it before going into the hallway. The last piece of furniture in his room was a dresser next to the door.

"I didn't get a chance to say this before but I missed you, Madoka." He whispered as he hugged me from behind.

"I missed you too. You have no idea how horrible it was to stay with Orochimaru." I said trying to forget all the screams and bloodied, dead faces.

"Did he hurt you?" he asked his voice becoming worried, a hint of anger creeping in. I shook my head,

"No. I was barely around him without Kabuto or Sasuke." I replied. Itachi relaxed and started to kiss my neck. His lips left goosebumps wherever they touched my skin. His hands moved from my stomach to my hips and he turned me around.

"Itachi, what are you doing?" I asked, giggling a little. He smiled,

"I want to see your face." He said before leaning down and kissing me. He tasted incredible, just like the way I remembered. Cabbage, onigiri and his own personal taste. His tongue traced my bottom lip so I parted my lips slightly, intrigued. Itachi slipped his tongue into my mouth. It was a strange experience having someone else's tongue touching yours and exploring your mouth, tasting you, but it still felt wonderful. Itachi pulled me closer to him and, flipping my long blonde hair over my shoulder, moved from my mouth to my neck. I started to feel weak at the knees. His fingertips brushed over the strap of my light blue satin slip as he kissed my shoulder. My head started to become hazy but my instincts took over. I walked us over to the bed and he gently lay me down. Itachi hovered on top of me, curious eyes fixed on my face.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked me seriously. I took a deep breath and nodded, gazing lovingly into his eyes. He smiled, kissed me again and parted my legs slightly with his knee. I felt his hand glide up my thigh, under my slip and rest on my hip bone. Itachi moved from my mouth to my neck making me dizzy again. The hand on my hip slid up my side to gently cup my breast. I gasped as an unfamiliar pleasure consumed my body. Itachi slipped off the straps of my slip and pulled it down to reveal my breasts. Instinctively I crossed my arms over them, earning a grin from him.

"Madoka, you don't have to cover up, you're perfect to me." He said gently moving my arms away. I blushed as he began to kiss and suck on my right breast. I was so caught up with feeling that I didn't realize he'd moved his hand until he was rubbing my most private place.

"Itachi!" I moaned which only goaded him to go faster. I could feel him growing harder on my thigh as he pushed my underwear to the side and slowly slipped in one finger. I gasped as he testingly moved his finger in and out as I became wetter. I started to wonder where he learnt all of this, but then quickly put that thought out of my mind before it upset me. He rocked back on his heels, pulled down his pants and boxers with one hand. I gulped as I saw just how large he was. He positioned himself at my entrance and waited for me to be ready. I nodded,

"I'll go slow." He said and slowly forced himself into me. I cried out in pain as tears ran down my cheeks.

"I'm sorry, the pain will be over soon." He said gently and kissed my neck. He waited until I'd gotten used to the pain before slowly thrusting. I wrapped my arms around his neck and gripped onto him as pain turned to pleasure. After a few minutes, Itachi's pace quickened and his thrusts deepened. We were both sweating and panting heavily now. I could feel a pressure building up in my abdomen. Itachi's thrusts grew harder and faster and he clenched the sheets. The pressure in my abdomen exploded just as he climaxed. With the final few thrusts he rolled off and lay next to me, pulling me onto his chest.  
"I missed you so much." Itachi said again, his chest rumbling from his voice.

"You said that already." I said giggling softly.

"I know, I'm making up for lost time." He replied. I smiled,

"You won't have to anymore. Not now we're finally together." I said. Itachi made a noise of agreement which worried me.

"You're not telling me something." I said. He sighed but didn't respond.

"I'm not worried, Itachi. I know that if something happened you'd come for me, you always have." I said.

"And I always will. Nothing will stop me from coming for you, Madoka. Not even death." He said. The way he said the last part made me worry but I soon found myself drifting into sleep from the steady drumming of his heartbeat.

It had been almost three years since I'd joined Akatsuki relaying fake information to Orochimaru and giving information to Akatsuki. The time had now come to betray Orochimaru and send Sasuke further down the path of hatred. I was silent as I walked to the rendezvous to meet with Kabuto. He was already waiting for me.

"You're late." He said unemotionally. I fought against the urge to sigh and lean against the railing of the bridge. Instead I stood straight and kept my face blank.

"I know." I said.

"That information you've been giving us has proven to be false on many occasions, Madoka." Kabuto said sternly before his feelings for me kicked in and his face softened, "Is everything okay?" I swallowed,

"Actually, no, it's not. It's over, Kabuto." I said. He stared at me, a puzzled look on his face.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"You know that Itachi is in Akatsuki right…" I said. Kabuto nodded and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Then you should also know that I can never betray him." I finished. Kabuto raised an eyebrow and pushed his glasses up on his nose,

"Not even for his brother?" he asked trying to guilt me into staying on Orochimaru's side. I closed my eyes, wishing I was back in Konoha staring up at the Fourth's face. _Fourth, please…give me strength._ I pleaded silently.

"Especially not for Sasuke." I said, my words coming out harsher than I had intended. Kabuto exhaled deeply and threw back his hood.

"Then…" he crouched, ready to sprint, "we are now enemies!" Kabuto charged at me, intent to kill in his eyes. I just stood and waited. Kabuto pulled out his scalpels, his chakra enveloped them and he raised them, ready to cut my jugular. Just as he brought them down a large bandaged sword intercepted my death. Kabuto jumped back, out of reach of the two Akatsuki members that had been waiting in the shadows for the right time to strike.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that." Itachi said from his place in front of me. Kisame lifted his great sword Samehada and rested it on his shoulder.

"Uchiha Itachi…" Kabuto said surprisingly pleased, "I have to say, I've always wanted to kill you."

"Good luck with that." Kisame said, a grin spreading across his shark-like face. Kabuto suddenly grinned as hands formed around my mouth. I tried to call out, but it was muffled as the arms pulled me to the side of the bridge closest to us.

"Madoka!" Itachi hissed as he realized I was being taken. He moved to chase me but Kabuto stopped him,

"I wouldn't do that unless you want her to die, Itachi-san." He said sternly. Itachi froze and stopped Kisame from doing anything to further impede my survival.

"It seems I have found your weakness." Kabuto said triumphantly. I squirmed against the huge man keeping me hostage. He was one of Orochimaru's subordinates with the power to stretch any part of his body to enormous lengths. Suffice to say, resistance was futile. While one arm snaked around me, holding me in place, his other brought out a kunai and held it to my throat. I glared at Kabuto; this wasn't going to plan at all. Itachi closed his eyes, weighing his options I assumed. When he opened his eyes next I found myself in a strange place. I was surrounded by dead trees and dirt. _Where am I?_ I thought to myself. Suddenly the trees turned into crows and flew around me, tugging my clothes and hair. I tried to swat them away but my hands went right through them. When they finally cleared I was staring into the stone face of the Fourth. For a moment I felt relieved until his face started to crumble. Ground appeared at a rapid pace below me and took the form of Konoha. The fourth's face turned into the Hokage Monument and they all began to crumble, large stones descended onto a burning Konoha. All around me people ran, screaming and crying. A tall, silver-haired shinobi stood with his back to me, facing a fire. _Kakashi-sensei?_ Suddenly a beast appeared from the flames, its tail tossed him into a nearby wall. He dropped to the ground, unmoving with blood pouring from his mouth. I quickly turned away from the horror to see Naruto facing off with Sasuke. While Naruto was a glowing light, Sasuke was shrouded in darkness. They both charged at each other and before I knew it Naruto was on the ground, dead, and Sasuke was laughing sadistically towards the sky, soaked in blood. After that all I saw was darkness.

My hand felt warm. My eyelids fluttered open to reveal a ceiling that was both familiar and foreign. _Where am I now?_ I wet my lips and tried to speak, but it only came out as a tiny squeak.

"Madoka?" a gentle voice called and obsidian eyes peered into mine.

"Itachi? What happened?" I managed to ask before attempting to sit up. Itachi helped prop me up and I saw the reason my hand was warm was because it was encased in his.

"Kabuto attacked you." He said. I nodded, remembering that part.

"And after I put you in a genjutsu, you fainted." He continued.

"Wait, what?" I asked blinking several times and trying to comprehend what he had said.

"You fainted?" he repeated. I pulled away from him feeling betrayed,

"You used a genjutsu on me?" Itachi reached out to take my hand again, but before he could I stood up and walked to the door.

"Madoka, wait." Itachi begged. I turned to him, fury in my blood,

"No, Itachi. After everything I've gone through and done for you, you betray me like this?" I hissed, opening the door, "I don't think I will wait." I slammed the door and stormed off down the hallway where I promptly ran into the back of Akatsuki's resident artist and youngest member, Deidara. He spun quickly and caught me before I fell.

"Are you okay, un?" he asked. I was still a little groggy from being unconscious so I gripped his arms for balance.

"Sorry Deidara." I said, "My mind was on other things." Deidara looked from my face to up the hall,

"You and Itachi have fight?" he asked. I saw his eyes narrow slightly as he said Itachi's name.

"Kind of." I replied, "Anyway, I'm going to take a walk or something and calm down." Deidara released me and I had only taken a few steps before he spoke again.

"Hey, Madoka, have you ever been flying, un?"

Deidara truly was amazing when it came to art. I was amazed when he created a small eagle that fit nicely in the palm of his hand, but I was completely astounded when it transformed into a giant. Deidara jumped on with many years of practice and reached down to lend me a hand. Deidara pulled me up effortlessly and as we began to take flight I shut my eyes tightly. I clung to him desperately for balance, his arm rested easily around my waist holding me closer to him.

"It looks better if you open your eyes, un." Deidara said teasingly. Slowly, I opened my eyes and looked up at him. His big blue eyes gleamed with exhilaration, his long blonde hair flew freely in the wind, and he grinned cheekily down at me. In my months of being with the Akatsuki I'd never really hung out with Deidara, or take very much notice of him, even though he was my age. I was always with Itachi or Kisame or Zetsu, when he wasn't talking about delicious I looked. But now that I was with him, I realized just how attractive Deidara was. His cheeks grew light pink and I realized I was still staring at him.

"Sorry, Deidara…" I said, blushing slightly myself before turning away. The sights that beheld me were incredible! The forests below were a blur of green and occasional blue as we flew over lakes and rivers. Mountains greeted us as we flew past, and birds flew around us, curious as to why humans were up so high.

"Deidara, this is amazing!" I exclaimed happily and looked up at him. He smiled down at me,

"I'd hoped you'd like it. There's something I want to show you." He said as we steered to the right. He set us down in a small clearing, complete with a creek, flowers and cave.

"This is where I come to think about things." He said as he jumped down, his cloak spreading out behind him like wings. I followed him as he walked to sit down underneath the shade of a massive tree.

"It's beautiful." I said in awe. He smiled as I sat down next to him and smiled back. Suddenly his smile faded and he became serious.

"I know that we're not close or anything, but I want you to know that you can talk to me if you need to, un." He said, resting a hand on my knee. I looked away from him and thought about Itachi. I could feel the anger building, but with it came sorrow.

"He used a genjutsu on me…" I whispered. Deidara's hand tightened on my knee,

"What?" he asked through gritted teeth. I nodded,

"It was horrible." I said holding back tears, my voice cracking slightly. Deidara's hand grew gentle again.

"What happened?" he asked softly. I turned back to him, his only visible blue eye held worry while mine contained tears.

"I saw…" I said as tears began to roll down my face, "I saw everyone I care about die…at the hands of Sasuke…" Without a word, Deidara pulled me into his arms and I cried against his chest. To me, it didn't feel as safe as Itachi's arms felt, but it was still nice. He smelt faintly like clay and oil. As my sobs subsided, he whispered into my hair,

"You know, I'd never do anything to hurt you." It was then I realized why Deidara cared so much about me, he liked me. I didn't know how much, but I knew there were some feelings there for me. I leaned and searched his eyes for something I didn't know. What I found there was so much hidden emotion. I became lost in the depth of his blue eyes and before I knew it I tasted his lips on mine. His lips were warm and soft and tasted like bakudan, and before I could decide on whether I liked kissing Deidara or not, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer to him, deepening the kiss. Before things got too heated, I pulled away unsure on what I was feeling.

"Madoka, I know you love Itachi, but if you give me a chance I'll make sure you never have to cry again, un." He said tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. My emotions were mixed, I loved Itachi and didn't want to do anything to hurt him, but at the same time he'd betrayed and had hurt me. Part of me wanted revenge, and I knew that Deidara and Itachi hated each other. But I knew how much pain it would cause Itachi to see me with Deidara. Before I could be sure on what I wanted Deidara kissed me again, this time more passionately. He pushed against me, making me lie on my back. His hair tickled my skin so I brushed it out of his face. The action made him pull back. I got lost in his blue eyes again. He smirked and kissed me, forcing his tongue into my mouth, not that I put up much of a resistance anyway. He pulled down my shorts and underwear with one hand. I jumped when I felt his tongue against my womanhood. He was definitely skilled with his tongue and I moaned into his mouth. I could feel his grin against my lips. Suddenly he pulled away and undid his pants with the mouth on his left hand. His pants dropped to the ground along with his boxers. He grinned again as he pushed himself into me, earning a moan. Deidara didn't like the word gentle very much, he pounded against my uterus relentlessly. I started to feel sick; yes it felt good, but Deidara wasn't Itachi. And then after a while I just lost interest and lay there until he was done. Deidara pulled out just in time to loose his seed onto the grass.

"Morning." Deidara said and kissed me on his way out of the kitchen like he did every morning since that day. I didn't have time to respond before he was gone and I saw Itachi leaning against the sink, Kisame beside him making some kind of food. His face was expressionless, I couldn't tell whether he was upset or pissed off. I'd been starving a few minutes before but now my stomach felt as if it was filled with lead. I felt sick and like I was going to throw up. Itachi averted his eyes away from me and I took a deep breath and headed towards the refrigerator. I opened it, ignoring Itachi's movements, and tried to find something appetizing, only to be disappointed. I decided to just get a glass of water. Grabbing a glass from the cupboard I moved to the sink. Itachi just stood there, unmoving. I swallowed my pride and walked up beside him. Our sides brushed lightly as I leaned over to turn the tap on, sending electricity all over my body. My body yearned to be touched by him and only him, and yet I refused to. After I'd gotten my water I headed outside into the forest. I walked aimlessly for a few hours until I was standing on the edge of a cliff staring out at the mountains and forests. I stood there and thought about everything. I knew I couldn't keep stringing Deidara along, it was cruel to him. I had to talk to Itachi and work things out, but I didn't know what to say.

"I wish Kabuto was here…" I said to the air.

"Well I'm not exactly Yakushi Kabuto, but I might be able to help…" came a gentle voice I hadn't heard in years.

"Kakashi-sensei?" I asked without turning away from the cliff.

"Do I know you?" he asked. I smiled to the mountains before turning around.

"Madoka?" he asked surprised. I was glad I hadn't worn my cloak otherwise I suspected this chance meeting wouldn't have gone like this. I smiled at him before my emotions caught up to me and sadness overthrew my joy. Kakashi frowned, looking worried,

"We thought you had died… What happened to you?" he asked walking closer to me.

"It's a long story." I said looking at the ground and away from his curious black eye.

"Are you alright?" he asked. I sighed,

"Not exactly." I said and sat down, bringing me knees up to my chest. Kakashi sat next to me,

"Well, I won't ask why you're out here alone, but I'm willing to listen to what you have to say." He said.

"What would you do if someone you trusted betrayed you, and then you hurt them more deeply than they hurt you? How would you apologize for something like that?" I asked, leaving out details. Kakashi sighed,

"If that person is truly important to you and you to them, then just be honest with them. No matter how painful and hard the it is, the truth is always better than lies or secrets." He replied staring into the distance. I had a feeling he wasn't talking about the same thing I was, but he was right. I had to tell Itachi everything.

"Thank you, Kakashi…" I said before standing.

"Where are you going?" he asked also standing as I began to head back to the hideout.

"To tell the truth." I called back before disappearing into the forest.

"Itachi…" I said as I opened his door without knocking. Itachi looked up from the book he was reading. I walked into his room without being invited and closed the door,

"We need to talk." I said. I placed a locking seal on the door before I continued. I didn't bother about a soundproof seal as the only people in the hideout were Itachi, Kisame and I. Itachi put his book down and sat up straighter in his bed, showing that he would listen to what I have to say.

"First of all, I want to apologize. I never meant for anything to happen with Deidara but it did and I'm sorry I hurt you like that. And I'm going to tell him that there's nothing between us." I began.

"It wasn't your fault…" Itachi interrupted.

"Please, let me finish. I've been thinking about what happened, and I over-reacted. I know you wouldn't use a genjutsu on me unless you had a good reason for it. So I'm sorry I over-reacted like that. But please, don't ever do it again. What I saw I can't ever forget, it was horrible and I never want to see anything like that ever. It was almost as unbearable as not being with you. I hated seeing you hiding your emotions and knowing that whatever you were feeling was because of me, I hated being angry at you, I hated seeing no emotion in your eyes, I just hated all of it." I continued as the tears began to flow, "I love you, Itachi, I just want you and-" My words were muffled as he pulled me into an embrace. He held me tightly, not wanting to let go.

"Madoka, don't apologize." He whispered, "You had every right to react the way you did." I pulled back from burying my face in his chest to look him in the eyes.

"I hadn't been able to sleep for days." His statement confirmed by the dark rings under his eyes, "And I won't lie, I wanted to destroy Deidara. Every day I pictured slaughtering him in my mind but I didn't want to hurt you any more than I already did, so I kept my emotions hidden. I promise I will never do that to you again." A tear rolled down his cheek, a sign that he meant every word he was saying.

"I can't imagine what you saw; all I know is that I can't lose you again. You're too precious to me." He said and kissed me tenderly. My body was filled with electricity and I knew that Itachi and I were supposed to be together.

"I love you, Itachi." I said after we parted. He smiled,

"I love you, Madoka."


	3. Bittersweet

Chapter Three; Bittersweet.

*A/N: I'm skipping the whole Sasuke killing Orochimaru and stuff. So now Kisame, Itachi and Madoka are now on their way to the Uchiha hideout where to meet up with Sasuke.*

"Madoka, I don't want you to be there." Itachi said as we walked to the Uchiha hideout.

"I want to be." I said. Itachi sighed,

"Kisame, can you give us a moment?" he asked.

"No problem, Itachi-san. I'm not good with domestic problems anyway." He said and walked on ahead.

"Itachi, you can't expect me to hang back with Kisame, worrying about you." I said looking him in the eyes.

"Yes, I can. Because I need you not to be there. It's hard enough for me to put on this act to Sasuke, I don't think I'll be able to handle it if you're there watching. Besides it's too dangerous. You could be hurt, and I don't want to be the one who hurts you. I've done it once, and it killed me." He said cupping my cheek. I looked away, remembering the day he used a genjutsu on me.

"Madoka…" he whispered, I looked back into his eyes, "Please." I closed my eyes, fighting back the tears,

"I…I don't want you to die!" I cried as I lost the fight with my emotions and flung myself into Itachi's arms. I cried into his chest, soaking his cloak.

"I'm dying anyway, love. My time was up a long time ago. I've only stayed alive for two things, you and Sasuke." He said, kissing the top of my head. Neither of us said anything else while I cried. It wasn't until I couldn't cry anymore that Itachi spoke again.

"Promise me something?" he asked.

"Anything."

"I know you'll end up going with Sasuke, so please, take care of yourself. For both your sakes." He said. I frowned, unsure of what exactly he meant, but I nodded. Itachi pushed me back and kissed me like he'd never kissed me before. It was a passionate, bittersweet, farewell kiss; he poured all of his love for me into it. My heart ached as our lips left each other.

"It's time." He said and, hand in hand, we made our way to the Uchiha hideout.

"Madoka, go with Kisame." Itachi commanded as he sat in the big stone chair. I kept my eyes on the ground and nodded. I followed Kisame outside, giving Itachi one last look as I passed through the door way. _Goodbye, my love._ I took a deep breath and headed to where we were supposed to intercept Sasuke, and make sure they had no interruptions.

"Don't worry, Itachi-san will win." Kisame said, trying to reassure me. I forced a smile, but I knew the truth. Itachi wasn't going to be the one to walk away from this. It was his plan all along. It wasn't long until we came upon Sasuke and three other people. Kisame stood atop a post, while I perched on the wire.

"Sasuke-kun, if you would, please continue by yourself." Kisame said to the stopped group, "It's Itachi-san's orders. The rest of you please wait here." I looked down at Sasuke, he looked so different. It seemed the boy I once knew was no longer there.

"The only reason I formed this team was to make sure no one interfered with me anyway." Sasuke said before taking off towards Itachi. I closed my eyes as he passed us.

"Hoshigaki Kisame…and the Great Sword, the Samehada." Said a boy with white hair and blue tips. Kisame looked surprised that this kid knew who he and his sword were.

"Did you forget who I am? I'm Houzuki Mangetsu's little brother, Houzuki Suigetsu." He said. I raised an eyebrow at the kid.

"Oh? I didn't recognize you." Kisame said, seeming quite surprised, "You've really grown, Suigetsu."

"So much for not in the mood for a fight, Kisame." I muttered.

"I really don't feel like sitting around here waiting for Sasuke to return. Why don't we kill some time and have some fun, Kisame-senpai?" Suigetsu suggested. I sighed and stood up.

"Unlike your brother, you're quite arrogant." Kisame said, removing Samehada from his back, "Alright, I'll cut some layers off you."

"Suigetsu, are you sure it's okay to be going against Sasuke's orders?" an orange haired man asked. But it was too late for that, Kisame jumped down onto the rooftop. I sighed again, followed him and sat down between the orange-haired man and the only girl of the group.

"You wouldn't happen to be Madoka, would you?" asked the orange-haired man. I looked up at him,

"How do you know me?"

"Sasuke mentioned you to me a few times." He said.

"What?!" hissed the girl. I glanced over at her; she was glaring at me, her eyes filled with hate.

"What did he say?" I asked the man. He sat down next to me,

"Nothing much. Just that he thought you might be able to help…control my urges. He said he would ask you if we ever came across you." He said, "But I guess he didn't expect you to be here." I looked down at the ground and closed my eyes,

"No. I don't think he would expect it." A tear rolled down my cheek.

"Just what is Sasuke to you?" the girl hissed.

"That story is long. But I guess you could say he's like my younger brother." I said simply. The girl seemed to relax a bit afterwards. There was a loud crash as Samehada and Zabuzua's Neck Cleaver smashed the rooftop.

"Having fun, my ass." The girl said, "They're actually trying to kill each other."

"Kisame doesn't have fun when it comes to fighting. He's always trying to kill whoever challenges him." I told them.

"So Suigetsu could actually die?" the man asked. I nodded,

"Unless Sasuke and Itachi's fight is…over…before they finish." I said, choking on the word 'over'.

"You didn't want them to fight, did you?" the man asked. He seemed to be the most sensitive out of the group. It made me wonder why a guy like him would team up with these three. Suigetsu seemed to be arrogant and probably in this for his own gain. The girl was headstrong and wanted to be close to Sasuke. So why was he with them?

"I grew up with both of them. Itachi and I were very close, and I always saw Sasuke as a younger brother. They're they only family I have left." I admitted to him. The man looked down, he seemed to feel bad for bringing it up. I sighed,

"Well, I can't say that I didn't know that this was eventually going to happen." I said, trying to lighten my mood, "What did you need my help with?" The man seemed to like the change of topic.

"Well…I have these…urges…" he began.

"Juugo gets urges to kill people. He has a lot of trouble controlling it, and the only person who can is Sasuke, so I think you're wasting your time." The girl said. I rolled my eyes at her.

"Urges, you say." I said, "Juugo, right?" The man nodded.

"Take your cloak and shirt off and I'll see what I can do." I told him. He looked a bit uneasy but did what I asked.

"Now turn around." I instructed. He turned, his back now facing me. I pulled out my container of needles.

"What are you doing?" the girl asked, leaning over to get a better look.

"What's your name?" I asked her.

"Karin." Juugo replied. I took out a single needle and hovered it just over the base of his skull.

"Karin, stop asking annoying fucking questions and just sit down." I hissed, a tiny bit of Hidan creeping in, "And Juugo, put your head down." Both Karin and Juugo did as I instructed. With the back of his neck exposed, I inserted my needle into his flesh, right in the soft part. Juugo winced with pain as the needle sank deeper into his skin. He soon began to relax as I twisted the needle clockwise. After a few more minutes of placing and twisting my needles, I pulled them out and put them back in their container.

"Wow." Juugo said, "I feel…completely at peace." I smiled and stood up to stretch. A gentle breeze swirled around my feet and moved up to caress my face. It smelt like cabbage mixed with onigiri and blood. My breathing stopped and my heart pounded as the wind whispered "I love you. Goodbye." in my ear then retreated back in the direction it came from – the Uchiha hideout.

"Itachi…" I whispered as I turned around. Without a second thought I sprinted towards the hideout, briefly hearing Kisame call out my name behind me. I ran without stopping, my only thought was to get to Itachi. As I got closer to the hideout all I could see was rubble. It had been completely destroyed except for a small portion of wall. I jumped and landed on top of it and glanced around trying to find any sign of Itachi. There was nothing, until finally I looked down.

"Itachi!" I screamed as tears coursed down my face and I jumped from the wall to kneel beside the body of the man I loved. His eyes were half closed and staring up into the sky and he had a slight smile on his face. For a while I just sat there in the rain, staring at his lifeless body, hoping for some sign that he was still alive. Waiting for him to smile up at me and tell me everything was okay. But he never did. When I realized that I lost my mind. They say that there is nothing more heartbreaking than the sound of someone's scream when they lose their true love. My scream of pain and heart break ripped the others apart. It echoed throughout the area and silenced everything. Even the thunder was quiet. And when it was over the world would know what true loss sounded like.

I cradled Itachi's body in my lap and rocked us back and forth. While staring into his eyes I remembered a lullaby someone used to sing me.

"Nen-nen korori yo, Okorori yo.  
Bōya wa yoi ko da, Nenne shina

Bōya no omori wa, Doko e itta?  
Ano yama koete, Sato e itta.

Sato no miyage ni, Nani morotta?  
Den-den taiko ni, Shō no fue."

That is where Tobi and Zetsu found me. Cradling Itachi's body, tears rolling down my face and soaked from the rain.

"Madoka-chan. It's time to go." He said his voice strong yet gentle, "We have to get Sasuke out of the rain before he really does die. Not to mention Konoha will be here soon." I ignored him and just stared at Itachi. I barely even noticed Sasuke was beside me.

"_**I know that Madara will try to recruit Sasuke once I'm gone. I need you to try and prevent that."**_I remembered Itachi saying. _Itachi…you jerk. You left me alone again…_

"Madoka." He said again, resting his hand on my shoulder, bringing me out of my daze. I looked up at him, a steady flow of tears cascading down my cheeks.

"I need you to do something for me." He said.

"What?"

I readied myself to face them, I didn't know why he'd asked me to wait for the group from Konoha and tell them that Sasuke was gone, but I was in no mood to argue. It wasn't long until they showed up.

"Where are they?" someone asked. I emerged from my hiding spot and stood atop some rubble, Itachi's necklace clutched in my fist.

"They're gone." I informed them, the last few tears I had rolling down. I recognized a few of the shinobi below – Sakura, Kakashi and Naruto. It had been so long since I'd seen them.

"Madoka?!" Naruto called up to me, I gave him a weak half smile.

"What happened?" Kakashi asked me. I looked into his eyes and clutched Itachi's necklace a bit tighter,

"He's gone." I whispered.

"Where? Where'd he go?!" Naruto demanded.

"I'm sorry." I said before I used the Space-Time jutsu Madara had taught me. I let out a shaky breath as I reappeared in the hideout Madara had taken us to, right beside Itachi's body.

"I take it they didn't handle the news so well?" he said from his place next to Sasuke's unconscious body. I closed my eyes, steadied my breathing and squared my shoulders, regaining composure. I turned and headed to where Sasuke was lying.

"Let me do it." I said as I knelt on the other side of Sasuke to bandage his wounds. Madara did as I said.

"They reacted like you expected." I said as I bandaged Sasuke's arm. Madara headed into the darkness,

"Then everything's going to plan." Just as I'd finished dressing his wounds Sasuke woke.

"Madoka?" he asked looking up into my eyes. I gave him a small smile.

"I've treated your wounds." Madara said. As Sasuke sat up, he grabbed my hand the way he used to when he was little.

"You won." Madara continued, "Although, you've suffered quite a bit of damage yourself. You shouldn't over-exert your body like that." Madara walked forward into the light where Sasuke could see him. Sasuke tightened his grip on my hand, I responded by squeezing a little in reassurance.

"We've met once before. We were enemies then, but you can now forget about what happened with Deidara. I'm not your enemy anymore." Madara said. I winced at the sound of Deidara's name. He'd died because of me; he'd been jealous and angry that I'd chosen Itachi over him and thought killing Sasuke would be a good way to get back at me. Although he'd tried to kill Sasuke, I missed him. Sasuke still looked dazed; he hadn't fully recovered from being unconscious yet.

"I brought you here because there's something I wish to talk to you about." Madara informed him, but Sasuke didn't reply. He just continued to stare into the distance.

"You don't seem too interested." Madara said, "Then how about I phrase it differently so you'll want to hear me out. It's about Uchiha Itachi." Sasuke's eyes shifted to look at Madara.

"First, I should introduce myself." Madara began to remove his mask, only to be stopped by Amaterasu's flames. Itachi had planted it in Sasuke's eye to be triggered when Madara tried to take his mask off. Madara cried out in pain as the black flames burned him and disappeared back into the darkness. I wanted to think that Amaterasu was enough to kill him, but I knew that he was far more powerful than anyone I'd ever met, even as a shell of his former self. And when he emerged from the shadows once more my heart sank.

"Typical Itachi. He surprises me even in death." Madara mused, "He even takes measures for this occasion."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sasuke demanded.

"He transferred that technique into you in order to kill me." Madara explained, "No, actually, to put it bluntly, it was to keep me away from you." _It would have been nice if it had worked_ I thought bitterly.

"I'm guessing he set it up so once you saw my Sharingan, you'd activate Amaterasu, somewhat like a trigger." Madara continued. I glared at him from my place beside Sasuke.

"He planned for this amidst his dying breath; however, he failed against me." Madara said after a moment. I gritted my teeth; he was more arrogant than ever.

"Tell me just what the hell you're talking about?" Sasuke demanded again. I glanced at him; I could tell he was anxious to hear what Madara had to say about Itachi.

"Before he died, Itachi did something to you, didn't he?" Madara asked. Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise.

"Within his final moments, he transferred all of his ocular powers into you." Madara informed us.

"Why would someone like Itachi do that for me?!" Sasuke asked becoming more worked up.

"Sasuke, calm down…" I pleaded with him. He'd just regained consciousness, if he over-exerted himself he would pass out again.

"You don't get it, do you?" Madara said.

"Don't…" I warned him but Madara just kept talking,

"He did it in order to protect you." He finished.

"Protect?" Sasuke asked shocked, "What do you mean 'protect'"

"Stop it!" I hissed at Madara before turning to Sasuke, "Don't listen to him Sasuke…" But of course, my words fell on deaf ears.

"I'll tell you once more. You believe you know so much about your brother and yet you really know nothing." Madara said. I knew pleading with Madara would be useless; he was intent on telling Sasuke the truth. So my only other option would be to try and convince Sasuke that everything he was saying was a lie.

"Sasuke please," I begged, "Don't listen to him. Let's just get the rest of your team and leave." Sasuke looked at me with confusion. I knew he wanted to hear Madara out, but at the same time he didn't trust him.

"If you keep spitting out this bullshit, I'll kill you!" He threatened Madara. It seemed as though he was finally listening to me.

"You're determined to make this hard, aren't you Madoka?" Madara said to me. I glared at him,

"I'm determined to not go back on my promises." I hissed. Madara huffed,

"It's just like you to make a promise you can't keep." He said, I could tell he was smiling under his mask from the tone in his voice, "However, Sasuke, what I'm telling you is the truth." _Damn it, I'm losing Sasuke again!_

"On that night, Itachi told you about his accomplice, did he not? I am _that_ Uchiha Madara." He continued. Sasuke bent over, letting Madara's words sink in. _Shit…_

"I know everything there is to know about Itachi. Although, it looked like Itachi died without fully realizing that himself." He said. Sasuke let go of my hand and gripped the sheets,

"Shut up!" he yelled, "I don't give a shit about that! Just get the fuck away from me!" I smiled; Sasuke was no longer willing to listen to what Madara had to say. But Madara wasn't quite finished trying to persuade him.

"No, you will listen to me. It's something you _have_ to hear." He said taking a step forwards. I jumped to my feet and took a defensive stance in front of Sasuke, kunai drawn.

"For the sake of the shinobi world…For the sake of Konoha…And for the sake of his little brother, he put everything on the line. You need to know the life Uchiha Itachi lived." Madara said.

"Shut up!" I demanded, "You're only telling him this for your own fucking gain, Madara!" Once again he ignored me,

"Do you get it now? Do you get why Itachi implanted Amaterasu in your eye? It was because he wanted to make sure that you and I didn't meet. It's the same reason Madoka is trying to persuade you not to believe anything I say. You'll understand everything once you hear what I have to say." He said.

"Sasuke, please believe me. He's telling you these lies so you'll join him. Please, don't listen to anything he says." I begged Sasuke. Sasuke didn't reply so Madara took the opportunity to continue telling Sasuke everything.

"The only ones who knew the truth about Itachi were Konoha's Danzo and the Third Hokage, along with the advisers, Homura and Koharu, and of course Madoka. With the Third dead, the only ones left who know are those decrepit old bags and the woman standing in front of you telling you not to believe anything I say. And there's no way those three are ever going to speak about such a disgraceful truth. The truth about Itachi would simply dissipate in darkness for all eternity. It's what Itachi wished for." He said.

"You're wrong!" I hissed, "Sasuke, I'll tell you everything, the truth, I promise. Just come with me, and don't listen to him." Madara chuckled slightly before continuing,

"Then again, I also know the truth about Itachi. And as I told you earlier, he died without realizing it. Still, he was always cautious." He said and glanced at me, "I guess the guy just didn't trust me. If by some chance I was aware of the truth, he'd try sealing my mouth shut with Amaterasu. He must have realized I'd try showing you my Sharingan in order to get you to talk."

"What are you saying?" Sasuke asked softly from behind me, "What the hell is this guy saying?"

"Sasuke, don't listen to him." I said again.

"To protect me…Protect? The truth?" Sasuke mumbled.

"Please, Sasuke, just trust me." I begged.

"Think back… Try to remember everything about him." Madara said. Sasuke's breathing became faster and louder as he started to hyperventilate.

"Remember that kind, older brother of yours." Madara urged. I turned my attention back to Sasuke. His eyes were wide and he was staring at his hands.

"Sasuke, breath…" I instructed him as I placed a hand on his back. Sweat coursed down his face and I knew that convincing him that Madara was lying was now impossible.

"No he…He tried to kill me! He tried to steal my eyes!" Sasuke cried before having a coughing fit.

"Calm down." Madara said walking towards him.

"Get back!" I hissed, glaring daggers at Madara, "Sasuke, just breath Take slow, deep breaths." Madara knocked me out of the way before grabbing Sasuke's chin and repeating what I said.

"Don't touch me!" Sasuke cried shoving Madara away and clutching onto my arm before dropping to his elbow.

"Sasuke…" I whispered before he passed out again.

"I told you not to tell him…" I said laying Sasuke gently onto his back, "You fucking asshole!" I jumped to my feet and ran at Madara, kunai aimed straight at his heart. Of course I went right through him, so I turned on my heel and managed to get behind him before he could move. Holding the blade to his throat I warned him one last time,

"If you ever try to contact Sasuke again, I will kill you." I said dangerously. Madara chuckled quietly,

"You really think that's going to stop me?" he said and before I could reply he slipped out of my grasp and kicked me in the chest. I crashed into the wall and dropped to the ground. Darkness was quick to cover me.

When I awoke, I found that I was bound and gagged. I looked over at Sasuke, who was also tied up and still unconscious.

"I'm sorry you made me do this, Madoka, but I can't have you interfering anymore. I'm sure you understand." He said. I swore angrily at him although it came out as muffled angry noises. He chuckled before standing and walking over to sit on the table. Soon after Sasuke regain consciousness again.

"You're awake? I'm sorry but I had to tie you two up. She wasn't about to let me talk, and it didn't look like you'd listen to me otherwise." Madara said. I glared at him from my place against the wall. After a while Sasuke finally spoke,

"Itachi was…the enemy." He said weakly. I closed my eyes, willing the tears to stay where they were.

"He slaughtered the entire clan, and even killed our parents. He's a Missing-Nin; a member of Akatsuki. He's detestable. _That's _the man I was after." Sasuke said.

"It's true that he slaughtered the entire clan that night, and then left the village for good." Madara said, "It was all done as a mission assigned to him by Konoha. This is the beginning of the truth about Itachi." I slowly opened my eyes and stared at the ground, _Forgive me, Itachi, I failed…_

"This was a mission?" Sasuke asked incredulously.

"Correct. He killed his sense of self in order to complete his mission." Madara said, then after a moment of silence continued, "Well, it looks like you've calmed down a bit. Both of you…" I glared at him as he looked down at me.

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked for the fifth time that day.

"In order to talk about his life, we have to go back in time to Konoha's founding days." Madara said as he began to tell Sasuke the secret truth about Itachi. As he told the story of what really happened that night, the tears I'd tried to conceal spilled over and soaked the ground. When Madara was finished, Sasuke looked over to me,

"Is…is it true?" he asked. I looked up into his onyx eyes that were so much like his brother's. I didn't say anything; I just let the tears speak for themselves. Sasuke looked away from me and focused of the ground, letting everything sink in.

"Untie me." Sasuke ordered Madara. Madara did as he was told, untied Sasuke and watched him walk out of the hideout before untying me.

"Congratulations…you've successfully destroyed a young boy. Again." I spat before following Sasuke. He was standing on a rock formation staring out at the ocean.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked as I stood beside him.

"Itachi made me promise never to tell you the truth. So many times I tried to persuade him into telling you, but he never would. He hoped you'd never find out and keep believing that he was the bad guy, and that the Uchiha clan was a proud one. It was his…dying wish." I said softly.

"I…I killed him, Madoka…I killed him without ever knowing him…" he said, turning to face me. Tears were pouring down his face.

"He was dying, Sasuke, from an illness. He should have died a long time ago, but he'd been prolonging his life for that moment. Before he met with you, I'd begged him to tell you the truth and not to fight. But he'd told me that the only two reasons he was still alive were you and me." I confessed. Sasuke turned back towards the ocean thinking my words over.

"He really loved you, didn't he?" he asked. I looked up towards the orange sky,

"And I him. But I don't want you to feel guilty for killing him, Sasuke. It was what he wanted." I said, knowing that he would be feeling bad enough. For a long time, we both stood there in silence while he cried and the other gathered behind us.

"We've shed the name 'Hebi'. From now on we will act under the name 'Taka'." He said as a hawk flew overhead, "Taka has but one goal. We will crush Konoha."

I stood atop the cliff staring out at the ocean. It was as smooth as glass and the stars and moon reflected off it, making it look like the sky was endless.

"Itachi, I failed. I tried to do as I promised but... Well, Sasuke has chosen the path you hoped he wouldn't." I said to the wind, "Things are escalating out of hand so fast and I don't know how to prevent it." The world around me was quiet. For the first time in my life I felt completely alone, not even the wind was with me. I felt lost and torn in two. Part of me wanted to stay with Sasuke, and the other part knew I had to go back to Konoha and warn them. I didn't know what to do, and there was no one here to ask for guidance. I could feel the tears building again.

"Damn you Itachi!" I cried as I sank to my knees and tears poured down my cheeks, "Damn you…You always gave me such impossible tasks. And I always wanted to keep my promises to you because you meant everything to me. And now, now you're gone and for the first time I don't know who I am. I have no parents, no friends, no one but Sasuke and he's trying to destroy everything you worked to keep safe. Why couldn't you have just listened to me, you idiot?"

"_**Madoka, why are you so angry with me?" he asked me, his obsidian eyes confused.**_

"_**Because you left me, Itachi!" I said crying, "I have no one now. Without you, I don't even know who I am." Itachi smiled and wiped away my tears,**_

"_**I know who you are. You're the strong willed, passionate, persistent, beautiful woman I fell in love with all those years ago. You're the one person I could trust and rely on completely, the only one to truly understand me. You're my best friend and my love. No matter your real family, you will always be Uchiha Madoka to me." He said, "And you've been all that all along, even without me. I know that you will do the right thing, I believe in you." He grinned down at me and pulled me into an embrace.**_

"_**Thank you, Itachi." I said, "But it's going to be hard without you..." He pushed me back to look me in the eyes and smiling he said,**_

"_**I will always be with you, in your heart and in here…" he said and rested his hand on my lower abdomen. **_


End file.
